Ground Zero
by LumpyChunks
Summary: Four strangers unite against a common foe; the Director. In their epic battle; sacrifices are made, old friends grow close and enemies are vanquished. But who will survive in the new world and who will be left for dead?
1. The Dead Stare

The Dead Stare

Blood decorated the corridors of buildings. Corpses littered the pavements and streets. Survivors were nowhere to be found. With his M1911 pistol in his pocket and his Winchester 1912 pumped and loaded, an old man with a green beret on his head, a green combat jacket with beige combat trousers and army issue boots stepped out of his drab apartment into the real world.

The real world was a nightmare; however it was one that the old man seemed to have experienced before. The usual hustle and bustle of cars driving through the street, people walking around and a constant murmur of activity was replaced with hollow shells of vehicles in the road, the dead lying in their own blood on the pavement and an almost deafening silence.

'Bill!' a voice in his head screeched. For a brief moment, the world around him blurred. The shapes of cars and buildings flattened out, in a field of grass. Strong wind blew blades across his face while a loud engine noise bore into his head. As he looked to his left he saw three soldiers, one being carried by the other two. Another noise, a loud rhythm of bangs, could be heard to his right. He turned right and saw more soldiers, shooting into the distance. He found himself doing the same, firing toward an unseen enemy.

'Bill!' the voice called again. His Major was screeching orders in an attempt to keep his platoon alive. 'Bill,' the Major cried again, staring straight into his eyes. 'Get to the chopper and radio…' A loud crack came from the man's chest as he collapsed from a gunshot wound. Bill was staring into the man's eyes as his life was suddenly blasted away. Now; in the streets, Bill saw the same look in the eyes of the dead. What he found disturbing was that the few people, who were alive, wandering aimlessly and covered in blood, also had that same, dead stare.

Bill, the Vietnam veteran had seen his fare share of action but never anything like this. As he walked down the street, keeping close to the buildings, he thought back to everything that had happened a few weeks before. He had been at home when the news struck; being sent home early after getting fired from yet another dead-end job. He had thrown his jacket to the dirty carpet floor and locked the door. The apartment was one messy room, with takeaway bags and boxes lying around, accompanied by empty beer cans, a bed with a thin sheet over a mattress and a bare duvet and a single door, leading to the bathroom. It was the last Friday of the month, so he moved his armchair to block the front door, so his landlord wouldn't be able to get in demanding he pay his overdue rent. As he watched the old television for a few hours, having beer after beer, his mind wandered and drifted from what was in front of him. He didn't really pay attention to the soap operas, or the comedy shows and he was barley awake as the news started.

'This is an emergency broadcast for residents of…' Bill was stirred. He gathered his wits and looked at the television as the newsreader said; 'riots citywide. People are urged to stay indoors and do not leave their homes under any circumstances.' Bill stood up from his armchair and approached the television. Violence, overwhelmed police, disruption of city services… the image on the screen had even started to breakup. 'The National Guard… control… please…' were the last few words to be broadcast before the entire station fell into static. Bill flicked the television off without looking at other channels. If a station turned into static during reports of citywide riots, it had to be serious.

He walked to his window and pulled back the blinds. The streets below were eerily empty. In the distance, the dark silhouettes of buildings and skyscrapers were accompanied by a dim, flickering glow from the far streets below. Smoke drifted up into the sky, obscuring the moon from view. A loud scream and gunshot came from directly below Bill's room. He immediately jumped back from the window and heard another scream, followed by a series of gunshots. The last two, bullets shot through the floor. Bill jumped to the side, avoiding the bullets and waited in the corner. The shots and screams had died.

A gentle sob replaced the sounds of violence from below. Bill went to one of the bullet holes and then the other, attempting to see into the room below. He saw nothing. Standing up, he went to his bed and pulled out a small metal box. Inside was a handgun; a Springfield Armory M1911 along with a few magazines. He loaded the pistol and unlocked the door and pushed the chair slightly to the side. Bill squeezed out into the corridor and ran to the stairs. He descended one floor and looked down the corridor. Sounds of lament echoed from the room that was underneath his own. The door was open. He approached it slowly, and pulled the slide back and let it snap back. He heard a bemoaned cry from the room, before it returned to the constant weeping. He got closer to the room and stopped just short of the door as he heard a noise.

The door on Bill's opposite side suddenly opened and a young woman with black hair stepped out in a robe. He managed to hide the gun before she saw it. The two looked at each other and Bill immediately put his finger to his lips. Bill mouthed instructions to be quiet. She nodded and the then looked back to the door. He took another step closer before the woman tapped him on the shoulder. She mouthed to him about the noise coming from next door. He shrugged and instructed her to get the landlord. She nodded again and silently went away. Bill waited until she went into the stairwell before he looked back at the door.

Through the crack, he saw a pale window and a flickering light. Retrieving his pistol, he gently opened the door. The room before him was in a dire state; all the furniture was broken, the wallpaper was ripped and there was blood everywhere. There was a dividing wall, which separated the main room from the kitchen. The wall had cabinets obscuring the view of the kitchen, which was in darkness. Bill stepped into the room and went for the light switch, as the only source of light was from a flickering television from around a corner. Bill's finger stopped when the screen flickered on for a few seconds, illuminating the space in front of the wall. An arm was in view, blood had trailed down it and pooled in the palm of the person's hand. There was a gun next to it.

Bill pulled the firing hammer back and slowly made his way through the room. Inside the living area, he saw the television that had been knocked off its mount. He then turned to the kitchen, where the inhuman cry was coming from. The body that the arm belonged to came into full view as he turned the corner. Bill saw a young woman lying on the floor covered in her own blood. Her clothes, body and face had all been torn and ripped beyond recognition. Bill's eyes drifted upward to something that moved. He aimed his weapon at another woman who was curled up on the floor, crying uncontrollably. The sadness she was expressing was overwhelming. Bill lowered the gun slightly. She was also in torn, messy clothes but only her hands were covered in blood. She appeared to have abnormally long fingers and nails, which made her hands appear claw-like. Cautiously, Bill stepped forward. He was about to call out, to see if she was coherent.

The television suddenly broadcast a loud, muffled garble from some station. The sound startled Bill, but sent the other woman insane. For a brief moment he saw the woman's face and in particular, her eyes. They were red and almost appeared to be glowing. They were inhuman, seemingly devoid of any source of sense or civility. The woman's eyes were maniacal and she screamed an enraged shriek that was heard throughout the whole building. Bill jumped out of the way as the woman dived toward him. Going past him, the woman didn't seem to care that he was there; it was as if he wasn't there at all. She started attacking the television. With her claw hands the smashed the screen and ripped out components, obliterating it. When the television was nothing but dust, she resumed crying.

Bill was unable to comprehend what he had just seen, not that he had the time to do so. The black haired woman and the landlord had arrived in the doorway.

'What the hell?' the landlord exclaimed.

'Quiet!' Bill cried, but it was too late. The woman turned to the door and ran for the two there, screaming ghoulishly. The landlord panicked and ran away, the neighbour in tow. Bill ran after them coming out in the corridor quick enough to see the landlord throw his tenant in the path of the attacker. Within seconds, her blood was splattered everywhere. Bill fired but it was far too late; the victim fell to the floor. The attacker turned her sights to in his direction and began to dash toward him. Bill shot her repeatedly but it had no effect. There was a fire extinguisher to his left. He shot it as the woman was parallel and it exploded in a froth, blinding her. As she clawed at her own eyes, Bill pushed past her and went for the stairs.

Before he went through, Bill looked back and saw the red glow again, heading toward him. He tried to go downstairs but his landlord was blocking the way.

'Bill…' he gasped. The woman banged on the door, prompting him to move. Bill ran up the stairs, the landlord following. The woman smashed the door to splinters as he got to his own floor. Bill ran for his own room with the landlord falling behind. He was slightly larger than Bill and could not move as fast. His door was still ajar and he managed to slip through the crack between the door and the armchair he had left there before their chaser had emerged in the corridor. Bill pushed his armchair and closed the door, forming a firm barricade. 'Bill!' he heard the landlord scream before he heard the sounds of the woman tearing into human flesh, while the victim was still alive…

It was now a week later and Bill had raided his former landlord's apartment and salvaged his shotgun, which would offer him pale resistance against the horde of insane people that wandered the streets, all seemingly obsessed with murder. He did his best to avoid anyone he saw; fortunately most of them were pretty stupid and not as strong or quick as the witch woman he had encountered back in his apartment building. They all seemed to share two things in common; a dislike for gunshots to the head and an even greater dislike, almost loathing hatred for noise.

As he stalked the streets, Bill made sure he made as little noise as possible. Unfortunately for him, his stomach started moaning out of hunger. He had not eaten for over a day at least, so he decided to make a detour. While his intended destination was for the freeway, he wouldn't get very far without food. He found the nearest food store, stepped through the broken window and looked for something to eat. The broken glass crunched gently under his boots and the door that led to the back room blew in the wind.

Leaning against the shop's service counter and biting into a scavenged bar of chocolate, Bill considered his options. Heading for the freeway would make sense; fewer numbers of people would be there as there'd be nobody to attack. He might also be able to seize a vehicle and drive out of town.

There was a rumble in the distance. Bill looked up from his meal and out of the window, staring into the distance with fear. A motorbike shot from around a corner and headed in his direction. Bill immediately ran outside and waved his hands urgently at the person riding it. The biker stopped right next to Bill, the engine noise echoing through the street.

'Turn it off!' Bill screamed. The biker did as he was told and removed his helmet.

'Jesus, what's with you old man?' he asked. There was then a sound of hundreds of people screeching. Bill looked around and saw the horde; hundreds of people coming at them from every direction.

'This way!' Bill ordered as he ran for the food store. The two survivors jumped through the window and over the service counter, to the back door. The two made it through, just as people started making their way into the store. Bill and the biker slammed the back door shut and ran through the tiny hallway to a fire escape. They emerged in an alley way and Bill chucked his new companion his pistol.

'The name's Bill,' he said.

'Francis,' the heavily tattooed biker replied, cocking the weapon. There was a crash from the corridor behind; the horde had broken through. Stragglers were already in the alleyway, rushing toward them.

'Don't hit me, Francis,' Bill said as he began shooting.


	2. Left 2 Die

Left 2 Die

The quiet city air was broken by sound of hordes of people screaming, moaning and all converging on one location. It was this location where two survivors were forced to make their stand. Gunshots rocketed over the sounds of what seemed like an entire city mad for blood. An explosion echoed through the streets and then the screams died along with the gunshots. A survivor limped out of the alley covered in blood. Clutching his side, he gasped painfully with each staggered step, eventually collapsing against a lamppost and dropping his weapon. His vision blurred; the buildings and corpses fading away into a black nothing…

He finally opened his eyes and saw a young woman, his companion, with dark black hair and dressed in a light red hoodie looking down on him, tending to his wounds. She smiled as she saw him awake.

'Louis…' she whispered softly, holding his hand. Louis squeezed gently and smiled back. 'You had me worried there,' she said as she reapplied some bandages on his arm. The room she had pulled him to appeared to be someone's makeshift hideout. There was a table that held a large pile of ammunition and two pistols. The walls were covered in writing, from various people by the looks of it. Messages, instructions and pleas were the wallpaper in this room.

'Zoey…' Louis said with considerable effort. 'We can't keep doing this…'

'Doing what?' she asked, knowing the answer.

'We can't live like this anymore… running and fighting…'

'Don't worry,' she said reassuringly. 'Once we get out of the city everything will be…'

'Exactly the same as it is now!' There was a brief, awkward silence. 'What makes you think that everything will be better out there? In the open? Who knows what other freaks are out there? What if there are zombie animals?' Zoey ignored him as she finished doing his bandages. Louis sat up as soon as she was finished. Zoey leant forward on a table. 'I'm not saying we just give up; I'm saying we end it. On our terms.'

Zoey turned around, staring at Louis venomously.

'If you turn this gun on me or yourself I swear to God I'll…'

'Kill me?' Louis joked. Zoey walked over to Louis and slapped him across the face incredibly forcefully.

'How dare you even _suggest_ that? After all we've been through!' Zoey began pacing angrily. 'I didn't drag you halfway across the city, just to… to give up!' Louis stood up.

'Zoey, I, ahhh!' Louis stumbled back down to the bed. Zoey ran to him, examining his leg.

'You sprained an ankle by the looks of it…' she diagnosed.

'Perfect…'

'Don't worry; it'll get better after a day or so. A few painkillers will numb the pain so you should be able to walk.'

'We don't have any painkillers, though.' Zoey stood up and went to the table, taking hers and Louis' pistols, some ammunition and a make-shift pipe bomb, stuffing them into her bag.

'I'm gonna get you some, and a splint to help you walk.'

'Zoey…'

'I _refuse___to just give up on you or us! We're getting some medication, we're getting out of the city and we're damn well gonna survive!' She went for the door before Louis stopped her.

'What do you mean by "giving up on us"?' Zoey paused for a moment and looked back at him. She then left.

Outside, there were people wandering the streets aimlessly, looking up only when something attracted their attention. Zoey would be something that attracted their attention, however she was clever. She kept to the shadows and stuck to walls, never exposing herself to the horde of people waiting to attack.

After an hour alone, Zoey had arrived at a pharmacy. The windows were broken, so she stepped inside. She aimed one pistol ahead of her, and the other behind her; ready to shoot anything that moved. She just hoped that she didn't hit somebody who was still alive, in a manner of speaking.

'Hello?' she called out softly. There was a crash in the back room and she aimed both her pistols at the door. Someone burst through and ran straight for her. Zoey shot the attacker twice, once in the head, and he fell down dead. 'Damn zombies…' Zoey collected bandages, a splint and other necessities in her shoulder bag. She then went into the back room looking for antibiotics and sterilisers. She found the latter easily, but she was unsure about the antibiotics. Fortunately for Zoey, there was a drug encyclopaedia in the main shop. She picked it up and found the specific drugs that she needed. She collected the antibiotics and prepared to leave but stopped. She heard the sound of a motorbike engine in the distance. It started getting louder and louder.

Outside, the motorbike shot by. Zoey saw it only briefly before seeing the infected chase after it. Stepping out of the pharmacy, she looked down the street and saw the motorbike turn a corner. A few moments later, the engine noise cut off suddenly. Zoey paused for a moment, thinking what she should do. She thought she should go and help him, as she wouldn't be alive if Louis hadn't helped her survive...

The first thing Zoey experienced in this new and dangerous world was a feeling of familiarity. Her eyes opened, vision blurred and slightly disoriented. She tried to sit up but was held back by wires and tubes. She was in a hospital bed; bandages on her arms and wires connected over her body. She had no idea how long she had been there. She freed herself from her bed and tried to walk. She had very little strength so she staggered around the private hospital room. She was freezing; she was only dressed in a hospital gown. She stepped toward the door and tried to open it but couldn't. She tried harder but it was locked. She rested her head on the glass window and banged her fist against the door in frustration. She then looked up through the window and staggered back in surprise, falling over.

The window was cracked and covered in blood. She hadn't noticed before as she was disoriented. Zoey managed to stand and headed for the door once again. Through the blood, she managed to see the hospital corridor. It was a mess; litter was everywhere, wheelchairs lay upturned and it appeared in the distance somebody had attempted to make a barricade from chairs and gurneys. Zoey turned and went for the rooms outside window. It was night but she could clearly see the streets; it was anarchy. There were flames, damaged and upturned vehicles and bodies, lying on the ground. She also noticed people standing, staggering as they moved. They were seemingly unaware of the destruction around them.

Zoey pushed the call button by her bed, with no response. She searched the room for anything to help her escape. She attempted to find something sharp in order to break or pick the lock but she realised that would be the last thing she would find in her room. She resorted to banging on the door and screaming for assistance. She then fell to the floor finally acknowledging the futility of her efforts. Zoey looked for a way to escape. The fire extinguisher wouldn't be able to smash through the door. She could hardly jump out of the window either as she was too far up. Zoey could hardly believe that she was simply left to die.

After an hour or so she had run out of energy to cry or do anything at all. Zoey simply closed her eyes and rested. She knew it was her own fault that she was in this situation but she saw an upside. If she wasn't trapped in the hospital, she would have most likely been down on the streets, dead. She rested her head on her knees and started to cry again. It was at that moment, she heard a piercing scream from the corridor behind. The scream seemed to bore right into her bones. She looked up through the door window to see what had made the noise. There was nothing.

Then, something crashed against the door. It looked like a person, who was clawing insanely against the wood. The glass shattered and the person was screeching frenziedly at her, attempting to get to her. Zoey had her back pressed against the far wall, petrified. She noticed that the door was beginning to splinter and break. If his claws could shatter wood, they would most likely cut through her flesh. She had to act fast. She grabbed the fire extinguisher and aimed the nozzle through the gap in the door. She sprayed the maniac and he screamed, falling backward. Zoey managed to open the door and she stepped into the corridor. The man was lying on the ground, twitching and screaming.

Zoey then heard a rumble from down the corridor. She dropped the fire extinguisher as she saw a horde of people, each looking as deranged as the man on the floor, running straight for her. Zoey ran in the other direction as fast as she could, jumping into the nurses' station and locking the door. She knew that it wouldn't keep those people at bay for long. She looked around desperately. She moved a bookcase and couch to block the door. It would take a while at least for them to get through. Zoey looked around and noticed a bag that contained her clothes. She dressed in her blue jeans, white top and light red hoodie.

After half an hour, the sounds of the people on the other side of the door had died away and Zoey was sure that it would be safe to leave. However, she stacked up some chairs and tables and left through the air vents. She crawled through the narrow space for over an hour until she eventually made her way to the reception on the ground floor. As she set foot on the ground she cautiously made her way outside. Zoey saw people, lying on the ground dead and people, who stood up staggering, however they looked dead. One of them looked up and noticed her and started running toward her. Zoey ran and jumped behind the reception desk. She grabbed a computer keyboard and beat the person away as he got close. He tried to get closer again and she smashed it against his head. The keyboard shattered and the person staggered. Zoey dived over the desk again and ran out of the hospital. She managed to elude her pursuer and took rest in an alleyway. She realised that she was alone in this new world.

It was that feeling of loneliness that pushed her into running to assist the biker that had driven past so casually. She knew that she needed to save him before he was ripped to shreds. She couldn't leave him to die alone like she nearly had. Turning the corner, she saw the horde of people converging into a convenience store. There were gunshots coming from the alleyway behind. Zoey ran for the alley, refusing to let the biker die. As she looked into the alley, she saw two men, the biker and a man with a green beret, being mobbed. She knew she couldn't help them with her two pistols… then she took out the make shift pipe bomb. She lit the fuse and activated the alarm at the base. The horde stared at the device and she threw it into the street. They all ran to it manically, ignoring her and the other two. They all gathered around it and attempted to get a hold of it. Then, the device exploded, shattering the bodies and sending limbs and blood everywhere. There were no other zombies left.

'Are you okay?' Zoey asked, running to the two. The biker smiled and nodded, while the aging soldier barley acknowledged her presence. 'Zoey', she greeted, holding out her hand.

'Francis,' the biker took her hand and gave it a brief but firm squeeze. 'This here's Bill.' Zoey held her hand out for Bill, which he took begrudgingly. Zoey gave him an uncomfortably weak smile and then stepped back. Francis sighed and handed Bill a pistol.

'Thanks for the help,' he said as Bill took the weapon.

'Yeah, well, we wouldn't have been ambushed like that if you weren't so damn reckless!' Bill said scathingly. 'How long have you survived by yourself?'

'About a week,' Francis said. Bill made a sarcastic chuckle.

'That's pretty surprising…' Zoey decided to step in.

'You've survived this long?' she asked. 'Without any weapons?' Francis nodded.

'Yeah… I was staying at my girlfriend's place two blocks that way. I ran out of food so I decided to come out and get some.'

'Been on your own for less than a minute,' Bill scoffed, 'and you already can't handle it.' Francis turned his head away.

'_You_ ran out of food? Where's your…' Zoey stopped herself. 'Oh… I'm sorry.' Francis merely shrugged. Zoey decided to change the conversation. 'What about you, Bill?' He just looked at her inquisitively. 'You seem to know what's going on.'

'Young lady,' Bill said almost patronisingly, 'I think it's pretty hard not to grasp the gravity of what's happening here.' Bill gestured down the alley. 'Look around. We've just killed about… fifty? Sixty people?'

'I'd say more,' Francis interrupted. Bill ignored him.

'Suffice it to say, we've all just committed murder. Now I fought in 'Nam, I've killed people before.' Zoey and Francis were not sure how to take that information. 'However you two… how come you seem to just go about killing without a second thought? I mean you, Francis, I could understand but…' Bill looked at Zoey. 'I don't know how you got it in you.'

'They're not people anymore,' she replied quickly. Zoey turned to look at a corpse that lay face up on the ground. 'Look at them. Their eyes are just…'

'Empty?' Bill said. He seemed to understand what she was talking about.

'Of course they're empty; he's dead,' Francis noted.

'No, no, you don't understand,' said Zoey. 'Even when they're standing, they all look like that. They all have that same dead stare… and when they see you, too, it's like all humanity has been…'

'Forgotten?' Bill finished. Zoey looked up and nodded.

'What could have done this?' she thought aloud.

'Everything will be explained when we escape,' Bill said.

'When _we_ escape?' Francis asked, not sure he heard right.

'Well you obviously can't take care of yourself,' Bill said light-heartedly. 'And we can't just leave the young lady on her own. It's out duty to be gentlemen.' Francis couldn't figure out Bill's sudden mood swing before Zoey cut in.

'Oh, I'm not alone. I'm with someone, a guy called Louis.'

'Oh right,' Francis nodded. 'Where is he?'

'We were attacked by the horde…' Zoey began before Bill cut her off.

'_Horde_?' he asked.

'Oh that's what we call them,' Zoey explained. 'The… large groups of people infected with anger… or zombies. I like zombies.'

'You like… zombies?' Francis asked. Zoey mouthed a gasp.

'Oh no, no! Not like _that_! I mean I do love zombie flicks but… no!'

'Back to your friend,' Bill asked.

'Oh yeah… Well Louis and I were trying to get out of the city to the country. We figured there'd be fewer zombies there.' Bill and Francis nodded as she spoke. 'Anyway, we were running low on ammo and we only had two bombs left, so we decided to find somewhere to stay until morning. We were then attacked by a Boomer.'

'Another nickname?' Francis asked.

'Yeah. He's a zombie that looks morbidly obese and explodes when he's shot.'

'Clever,' Francis winked.

'But when he explodes; stuff flies everywhere from his belly and it got all over us. They can also puke it up over things as well. Whatever it is seems to attract the horde.'

'Like noise,' Bill said, clicking his fingers. Zoey nodded.

'Louis had the idea of putting a smoke alarm on makeshift pipe bombs that he made, so that the zombies would crowd around it before…'

'Splat,' Francis finished, wiping his shoe along the blood soaked floor.

'Louis used one to get the zombies away from us, but when it exploded he was knocked over and hurt his leg. I was just getting some supplies to help him walk now.'

'Where did you leave him?' Bill asked.

'The subway station a few blocks away. It was the only place that seemed remotely secure.'

'Well then let's head there. Four heads are better than three… let's leave the bike, shall we Francis?' Zoey chuckled. It had been a while since she found anything the smile about.

After a while, they were getting close to the subway station, unaware that they were being watched. Stray zombies were shot to dust as the trio advanced, closer and closer to their destination. Then, out of the distance, something shot forward as quickly as the bullets that left their guns. It got closer and closer to the survivors until…

'Argh!' Bill screamed. Zoey and Francis turned and saw something wrap around their companion; a tongue. Bill was then suddenly dragged away, across the ground. Zoey screamed after him as he was dragged into the distance.

'Hold them off,' she ordered Francis, who had picked up Bill's dropped shotgun. The commotion seemed to have attracted the horde. Zoey ran as fast as she could, the infected doing the same. She shot them as they appeared in front of her, running for the man being dragged along the ground. Zoey then saw the source. Up high on a building. A zombie, surrounded in a green smoke, was pulling Bill toward him. As Bill reached the base of the building his body smashed against the brick wall. He was then raised above the ground, choking.

As Bill gasped effortlessly for breath, Zoey caught up to him. She tried to shoot the zombie at the top of the three storey roof but couldn't, it had stepped back. Bill was being raised upward. He desperately tried to breathe, but to no avail. He would be dead within a matter of moments. Zoey shot the lock of the building's door and ran inside. It appeared to be a small office space inside, but she did not care. Zoey got to the stairwell and ran for the roof. Barging through the roof door, she was blocked by a barrier of smoke. Unable to see or breathe, Zoey fell back down the stairs. Catching her breath, she took a deep sigh and then ran up to the roof again. Holding her breath, Zoey ran through the smoke and saw the zombie. She pushed it with all her might and it screamed as it fell off the roof and landed next to Bill. It exploded in a cloud of green gas as Bill started coughing. He looked up at her, and smiled.

'I think we could call that a smoker?' he suggested. Zoey grinned and collapsed, coughing from the lingering smoke. Francis arrived, helping Bill to his feet. Zoey managed to get to her feet and went down to the street to join her companions. The three descended the steps to the subway station and went underground…

The station was derelict and in ruins. The three survivors made their way to the station offices, where Louis was hiding, shooting stray zombies that got in their way. They climbed a set of stairs to the door that led to the offices. As they got to the top, Zoey gasped and dropped her pistols. The door was not in its frame; it had been smashed to pieces. Zoey ran into the office and screamed. There was blood everywhere… a corpse lay in the middle of the room.

'Louis!' Zoey screamed.


	3. Fifteen Minutes

3. Fifteen Minutes

Sobbing uncontrollably, Louis held her in his arms. Her blood had stained his jacket; her face with a dead expression of pure agony was imprinted forever in his mind. Laying the one person he cared for the most to rest, Louis removed his jacket and covered her body with it. He then heard them in the distance. The only thing he wanted now was revenge, revenge for the woman who had just been torn away from him forever. Louis loaded his pistol and began shooting. Each bullet that tore through the horde's flesh was like an instant pain reliever, diluting the anger that was brewing deep inside.

It would never last for ever, as already the bullets were running low while the numbers of infected were not. Again and again Louis fired at the attackers as they started getting closer and closer. They were too close; Louis was out of space.

That was when he heard the groan; a deep voiced groan. Louis saw through the horde the morbidly obese zombie that was heading this way. With a well aimed shot Louis fired his pistol, the bullet dancing past the other infected, straight into the large zombie's stomach. The explosion knocked Louis off his feet and onto his back. The explosion had taken care of most of the problem zombies, so he took care to the rest easily. Shooting the last survivor, Louis got to his feet and reloaded his gun. It was then he realised he only had one magazine left.

Loading the last of his ammunition, Louis continued forward. He left the multi-storey car park and walked over a sky bridge. Down below he could see the carnage. The horde was everywhere he looked, acting like one collective mind that had a single agenda; kill everybody. Louis was not planning on joining their ranks today. He would sooner join the ranks of the dead than the living dead. He hoped that wouldn't happen, which is why he was heading for the airport. With all the security there, surely there would still be someone still alive and prepared to fly to their escape. At least that was what Louis thought. The ruins of a crashed plane directly below did not fill him with confidence, however.

Entering the upper tiers of the airport terminal did not improve Louis' confidence, either. The walking dead were everywhere. Gripping his gun tight, Louis cautiously made his way though the terminal, desperate not to make the slightest noise that would attract them. Slowly, he made his way though to the departure lounge. He saw a lot of airplanes and unfortunately, a lot of activity on the tarmac. It would have appeared the horde had tried to get to the skies. There was not a lot he could do here, Louis thought. He was alone and certainly couldn't fly a plane, let alone get to one without being mobbed. His chances here seemed to be drifting away.

Louis looked up to the air traffic control tower. Muzzle flashes could be clearly seen, even at this distance. There was someone still alive! Armed with a much needed boost of confidence, Louis headed for the first departure door and stepped onto the tarmac. Some zombies took an interest in him, but he shot them away. Forgetting about his dangerous shortage of ammunition, Louis blasted away pesky zombies, until he heard the sickening, empty click. His pupils dilated with terror. His arms began to tremble in fear. His heart started beating faster than he could even think.

He desperately tried to beat the horde away. They had forced him into a large open space in the middle of the runway. Grabbing and clawing at him, Louis was about to succumb to his gruesome fate. The zombie right in front of him went to claw at his face before her head exploded. Other members of the horde started to jar suddenly and collapse. As he got away from them, he heard the gunshots from the top of the control tower. Running for it as fast as he could, Louis punched everyone in his way to the side. Barging through the main doors, Louis made his way up the stairs. Corpses were lying around on odd sections. He saw something fall past him through the middle gap between the stairs. As it landed, a fire erupted by the door, incinerating all that attempted to follow him with almost instantly.

Louis reached the top of the control tower and walked into the air traffic control room. Computers and terminals were everywhere, most inactive. The windows that circled the room gave a good view of the distance and the tarmac below. Louis looked into the horizon and saw the future. He then felt a sharp pain on the back of his head as someone smashed something into it.

When he finally woke up, he found himself restrained. His wrists were behind his back and tied to a cold radiator. Gathering his wits, Louis attempted to free himself but pulling on the straps that held him in place. His efforts were futile and he was quick to give up.

'I'd have thought you'd try a little harder than that,' a woman to his right said. Louis quickly turned his head and saw a tall, busty woman dressed in dark leather trousers and a white t-shirt that had a picture of a Chihuahua with a flaming head on it. Her vibrant red hair fell to her lower back and her bright green eyes shone in the early dusk sun. She had a hunting rifle in her left hand and a radio in the other. 'Levar,' she said into the radio, not taking her eyes off Louis. 'Come in Levar.' There was a brief pause.

'What is it, Amanda?' Levar answered.

'My man is awake,' Amanda informed him. 'What do you want me to do with him?' Louis started to loose that feeling of confidence he had moments earlier. There was a pause on the other end.

'Well, is he one of them?' Levar asked.

'No,' Amanda replied, shaking her head.

'Cut him loose. He can help us,' he ordered. Amanda obeyed and took out a small knife, cutting Louis free. Louis massaged his wrists before standing up. Amanda held out her hand, which he took with some reluctance.

'Yeah, sorry about that. We just gotta make sure we're not letting one of them walk through the door. I'm Amanda.' Amanda held out her hand again. Louis took it and gave it a shake.

'Louis,' he said.

'Well, Louis,' Amanda smiled. 'Welcome to the great escape!'

Louis looked around the control room. It was filled with enough weapons and ammunition to survive a small war. Grenades and Molotov's were placed in one corner, while pipe bombs were separate. Each window had been smashed and ammunition was on the ledges.

'Me and Levar have been working together for about a week,' Amanda said as she loaded some weapons. 'We were here when the airport was lost. It was a nightmare. People all crowded to get to planes and fly away. I was an air traffic control operator and I actually gave permission for a plane that was so full, people were standing in the aisles, to take off.' She paused and pointed to the huge wreckage clearly visible in the terminal. 'That plane ended up there.'

'My God,' Louis said softly. 'What the hell's going on? I mean, it all happened…'

'So fast?' Amanda cut in. 'Yeah, I know what you mean. Levar's a pilot from Israel and says that it's all happening over there, too.'

'Why is this happening?' Louis asked. There was a silence and Amanda merely shrugged.

'What's important is that with you here, Louis, we can finally escape.' She led Louis over to one of the broken windows. Down below was a plane, a large twin engine cargo plane that was connected to a fuel tanker. 'We're going to get on that plane and fly away,' Amanda said enthusiastically. 'Levar is just waiting for us to get down there.'

'What are we waiting for?' Louis asked, heading for the door. Amanda stopped him.

'The fuelling process takes about fifteen minutes, give or take,' she explained. Judging by Louis' blank expression, she decided to elaborate. 'It's also louder than a sack of cats, so as soon as we start, the zombies come.'

'Why?' Louis asked.

'We're not sure why but they seem to be attracted by loud noise. We've been fitting these pipe bombs with smoke alarms so that the bastards crowd around it before it goes off. Needless to say, once it starts, the zombies come. Someone has to get down there and make sure they don't interfere with it.' Louis had a feeling that someone would be him.

Sure enough, Louis found himself in harms way, yet again. Amanda provided him with an automatic shotgun, another pistol and some of her homemade explosives. She also gave him a radio, so that the three survivors could keep in touch. Levar was waiting in the airplane, making the final preparations for take-off. Amanda was up in the control tower, covering Louis.

'Don't shoot the fuelling vehicle, okay?' she told him over the radio. Through the scope in her rifle, she saw Louis look up and give her sarcastic stare. 'Levar, you ready?'

'Rodger,' Levar said. 'Just waiting for some gas…' It was now all resting on Louis…

As he stepped toward the fuel pump, he felt nervous. This was his last chance to escape this nightmare… but to what kind of life? According to Levar, there were zombies in Israel. If it was there, it must surly be all over the world. How would they survive such a global catastrophe? Would there be anywhere safe? Only places with no people, Louis thought, which meant they had to live on the north or south poles.

'Tempting…' Louis said.

'What?' Amanda inquired.

'Just thinking out loud,' Louis explained, gripping the handle. 'We ready?' Neither of his companions responded. 'Alright… here they come!'

Louis activated the pump and the generator kicked into action, creating an ungodly noise that echoed around the airfield. The few zombies that were still around the tarmac ran for it instantly, each being dispatched quickly by Louis and Amanda. Soon after, there were no zombies left to kill.

One minute had passed and so far, everything seemed to be going better than they had anticipated. Louis had his weapon ready for anything that came his way. A gunshot rang over the generator noise. Louis stepped away and heard the frightful drone of hundreds of people hunting him down. Someone jumped on his back, knocking him off his feet. He dropped his shotgun as a hunter began clawing at his back. He screamed out for assistance, which was delivered promptly as Amanda shot the zombie in the head, knocking him off Louis. He got to his feet and ran for his gun. He was unable to even get anywhere near it, as he became completely surrounded by his attackers. Amanda activated one of her pipe bombs and threw it as far as she could. Despite the generator noise and the helpless target that was once again subdued to the floor, most of the zombies ran for the bomb. Amanda shot the few that stayed to attack Louis off him and he managed to stand, wield his shotgun and defend himself. The bomb detonated in the distance and infected once again turned their direction for Louis.

The number of attackers seemed to increase along with the amount of time that had gone by. It had been two minutes since the pump was activated and Louis was already starting to feel the strain. Amanda was trying her best to support him, but there were simply too many creatures to keep track of. Louis entered a desperate routine of shoot, beat them away, shoot and beat them away again, unable to move from his position. He punched himself out of the swarm and fired the remaining rounds left in his shotgun.

'Amanda, throw me some ammo!' he cried. Amanda jumped back into the control room and picked up a box of ammunition. She threw it outside and was about to perch herself on the window ledge when she heard a thud come from the barricaded door. The infected were getting close to her.

'Louis, I got a problem!' she cried. 'They're getting through up here!' Louis reloaded his shotgun and continued shooting, barley managing to keep the zombies at bay. In the tower, the sound of splintering wood came from behind the barricade. Amanda took out a shotgun and looked through a tiny gap in the barricade. She saw the hole in the door and slid the shotgun through it. She pulled the trigged and there was a splattering sound from the other side. She then took a Molotov and threw it threw the gap. Flames erupted and she was safe, for the time being.

Three minutes had gone by.

'Levar,' Louis called, 'how much longer?'

'The fuel tank is nowhere near full. Sorry, but you'll have to hang on a little longer.' Louis ran past the horde and jumped onto the ladder at the back of the fuel vehicle. He stood on the roof and blasted the attackers from there. His strategy was successful; as they got closer he managed to dispatch them and Amanda took care of any that he had missed, who tried to climb the vehicle. Amanda was so caught up in everything that she didn't notice the barricade behind her slowly being worn away…

Louis kept firing but felt something wrap around his torso. Before he realised what was going on, he was being dragged away, in the direction of other infected.

'Help me!' he cried. Amanda saw him get dragged off the vehicle. She saw the smoker that was pulling him and shot at it. As she pulled the trigger, the barricade burst and she missed. As she aimed again, she saw in the corner of her eye a hunter crouch and leap for her. She pulled the trigger just as it grabbed her and sent her over the edge. The smoker was shot in the leg and it let go of its prey. Louis managed to get to his feet and fight his way back to the vehicle. He blasted away zombies that were attacking the truck, not noticing the hole one of them had made, causing the petrol to start leaking.

Louis would have noticed it, if he wasn't distracted by Amanda screaming from the top of the tower. The corpse of a hunter lay on the ground and Amanda was clinging onto the ledge.

'Help me!' she screamed. Louis immediately left the tanker and made his way inside the tower. Burnt corpses lined the stairs. He jumped over them as he made his way up, shooting some of the ones that were still alive. When he reached the control room, he stepped over the barricade debris and made his way to the window where Amanda was holding on. He was a few feet from the edge before he heard the moan from behind. He turned just in time to be vomited on by a boomer. He shot and blew it up, staggering blindly to help Amanda up.

Hanging, she saw below an uncountable number of zombies converge on the control tower. In a matter of moments, they would be up there and trap the two. Louis grabbed Amanda's hand and managed to pull her up to safety. Wiping the bile out of his eyes, he saw Amanda throw a Molotov down the stairwell. She then went to the opposite window ledge and climbed up on top of it.

'We need to get out of here!' she cried. Louis followed her to the ledge and saw her grab one of the support beams. She climbed it, making her way onto the roof of the control tower. Louis followed, just as he saw flaming zombies burst into the control room. Amanda pulled him up hastily but not before one of the infected grabbed his foot and clung to him tightly. Louis tried to shake it off, but it wouldn't let go. Amanda took out her pistol and shot the zombie in the head, making it fall limply to the ground. The two were stuck on top of the control tower.

'Levar,' Amanda spoke into her radio while loading her rifle. 'How much longer?'

'It's about half full now, so seven minutes.'

'Damn it…' Amanda panted. 'The fuel truck will never last that long… you gotta get back down there?'

'How?' Louis asked, exasperated. Louis failed to notice that there was ammunition here on the roof as well as other supplies. A rope lay in the corner.

'I'm a girl who's always prepared,' Amanda said as she tied the rope to a satellite dish. She then threw it over the edge and turned to Louis. 'Get going!'

Louis grabbed the rope firmly and slid down the edge of the tower. As he stepped onto solid ground, he heard a deep growl, deeper than anything he had heard before. He turned around just in time to notice a baggage car flying through the air toward him. Louis dived out of the way before it went through the wall of the tower. As he stood up he saw a zombie, larger than any he had ever seem before, hammering it's way toward him. It was so huge; it had to move using its arms as well as its legs. The creature lifted up another vehicle and threw it toward Louis. He jumped out the way of this one too and began firing.

Ten minutes in and everything seemed hopeless. The horde had vanished and in their place stood a behemoth that was seemingly impervious to anything the remaining two survivors could throw at it. Louis had exhausted all of his shotgun ammunition and was relying on his two pistols, which were also running low. Amanda kept shooting the tank from above, but to little avail. It just would not die.

'Do something!' Louis cried. Amanda picked up a Molotov and threw it at the tank. It shattered on the beast's back, setting it ablaze. In anger, the beast jumped forward toward Louis and punched him, sending him flying far back. Amanda screamed as she shot the beast repeatedly in the back. The tank turned and noticed the lone woman on the top of the control tower. It punched its hands into the tarmac and lifted a chunk of concrete. The monster then threw it at her. Amanda dived out of the way in time, but the concrete tore through a whole section of the roof. The satellite that supported her escape rope tumbled to the ground. Ignoring this, Amanda continued to shoot at the beast. It made its way around the control tower base, still ablaze. The beast was making considerable noise. The tank put its flaming foot into the pool of leaked kerosene and ignited it, sending a stream of fire heading for the fuel vehicle. Levar saw that the truck along with the plane was about to explode. He made his decision fast. He pulled on the throttle and the plane started moving forward. It tore from the fuel vehicle and made its way down the runway.

'Levar!' Amanda screamed down the radio.

'I'm sorry…' were his only words, before he switched his own radio off.

The plane went down the runway quickly and lifted up off the ground. The fuelling vehicle had caught fire and prime to explode at any moment. It was then the tank lifted the truck off the ground and hurtled it toward Levar's cargo plane as it began turning. It flew through the air, got close to the plane and then exploded… Amanda gasped as she saw Levar become obscured by the flames… She gasped again when she saw the plane emerge from the smoke. The vehicle did not hit the plane, but exploded very close to it. As a result, the tail was damaged and Levar couldn't keep control. It started loosing altitude and turned uncontrollably… back in the direction of the airport. Louis managed to get to his feet and limp so that he could see the plane. As it descended, he noticed the tank as well. It was scaling the walls of the control tower, climbing on the outside closer and closer to Amanda. The plane's engines were being strained under the pressure as Levar desperately tried to steer it away from the airport. Just in front of the control tower, the plane crashed into the ground. The wreckage piled into the tower base, causing the structure, the tank and Amanda to come crashing down into the flames… Louis staggered back as the wreckage headed in his direction. He managed to limp out of the plane's path as the flaming wreckage blazed past, destroying everything. Louis' dreams and only hope of escape had been decimated in a matter of moments; less time he lasted trying to preserve them.

The airport destroyed, Louis' hopes of flying away were dashed. He limped away from the wreckage, went through the airport and back onto the street. The horde was nowhere to be seen, so Louis dropped his weapon and collapsed. He began to weep softly. The gentle roar of the flames could be heard in the distance. Unable to take it any longer, Louis lay on the pavement and closed his eyes.

When he opened them again, the dusk sky had turned to a blank dark. There were no stars, only clouds. Louis sat up and saw what had woken him; a girl. She was walking away from the airport. She was not staggering, so she was clearly still alive. Louis went to call out for her but decided not to. Everything seemed to go wrong around him. The girl in the light red hoodie went into the multi storey car park. Louis heard the distinctive groan of a boomer in the girl's direction. Louis stood up and ran as fast as he could for the car park, still limping.

'Get out of there!' he cried. Inside, the girl heard him and turned to see Louis running in her direction. She went to meet him half way. 'Get down!' he ordered. The girl ducked down as Louis shot the boomer that was approaching from behind. The force of the explosion knocked her forward. Louis knelt down and helped her up.

'Thanks,' she gasped.

'Don't mention it,' Louis smiled weakly. The girl brushed herself down.

'What's your name?' she asked.

'Louis.'

'Zoey,' the girl replied. 'Nice to meet you Louis.'

*

'Louis!' Zoey screamed, running for the corpse in the middle of the room. She turned the body to see the face. The skin had been torn apart. Zoey looked up and saw a hunter crawl out of the cupboard. It jumped straight for her but Bill blasted it away with his shotgun.

'Zoey,' he said delicately. 'Let's go.' She nodded.

'It's not Louis,' she whispered.

'How can you tell?' Francis asked.

'Louis is black, this guy's white.' The corpse suddenly sprang upward and grabbed Zoey. Before it could do anything, Francis kicked it back and shot it dead. Zoey immediately stood up and stepped out of the so called safe room. She then bent over and vomited in the corner as Bill and Francis stepped back.

'What are we gonna do?' Francis asked. 'I mean… he's obviously dead.'

'Don't be so sure,' Bill said. 'After all, we all managed to survive on our own before all this.'

'Yeah, but I just stayed in my girlfriend's apartment for two weeks!'

'True… I stayed at my place until now as well…' Bill looked up at Zoey. 'How do you think she survived?' Zoey stood upright and wiped her mouth. She spat to the ground and then looked at her two companions.

'We have to get out of here,' she instructed. 'Somewhere, out there, Louis is still alive and we just… we have to save him!' Bill and Francis looked at each other, exchanging glances of futility. They knew that Louis was dead but Zoey wouldn't believe it until she saw his corpse. From what had just happened; if she was to find Louis' body she would probably break down. Then they'd loose another person to aid in their escape.

Zoey stormed off down the stairs and into the main terminal. She mercilessly shot any zombie that came her way with her twin pistols. Bill and Francis were close behind, covering the rear. They went up a set of stairs to the subway platform and were greeted by the sight of a damaged train. The flames had long burnt out and the lights were far from effective. The tunnel was hardly visible. They were in complete darkness.

'What do we do?' Zoey whispered.

'Get in the train and we'll walk up the tracks as far as we can through there,' Bill advised. 'That way, we won't be exposed to attack from all directions. I'll go first.'

Bill stepped into the car through its smashed door. There was a loud creak of metal strain as he put his weight into the compartment. Zoey and Francis looked at each other, having a silent conversation debating who should go in next. Francis decided to follow in Bill's footsteps and stepped inside, a lot less carefully than his companion. The sound of the metal splintering could be heard echoing around the platform. Zoey was quick to follow Francis, convinced she heard something behind her. Pushing Francis forward, the trio got closer together. The rustling of footsteps could be heard coming from all around. Everyone cocked their weapons and took position in the carriage. As soon at they heard the sound of metal straining, they opened fire. The muzzle flashes briefly illuminated the carriage; they could see an intense number of infecting running for them. As they entered the carriage Bill, Francis and Zoey did their best to keep them at bay. It wasn't long however before they felt a rumble coming from beneath their very feet. The weight of the infected on the damaged tracks was causing it to rupture. From the rear end of the carriage, the ground underneath began to crumble. Suddenly, there was a loud crash and the carriage tilted downward. The infected slid down the new slope to the end of the carriage. The end then broke off and fell into oblivion with a loud, sickening crash. The whole train then started to slide down into the new hole, plunging the survivors to their doom.

Until the compartment became stuck. It had wedged between the surface of the opening, but it was fast breaking apart. A whole section then broke off and the carriage became even more slanted. Bill fell and slid down the floor. Zoey grabbed his shotgun, which he did not let go of and held onto it as she had wedged herself on a seat. The muzzle was pointing straight at her face.

'Don't you pull that trigger!' she called out. The compartment jarred forward again and Bill's grip loosened. His grasp then slid off the shotgun and he fell. As he fell, the entire compartment fell with him. The train fell all around him and he made a quick grab for a support pole. The whole compartment became snagged. The other carriages were not moving, so it was just them. Bill climbed his way up to the opening, where he and the others would be safe. The connectors were already snapping and breaking, unable to take the weight. Francis made it to the top and lifted Zoey up to safety.

'Come on, old man!' he called out, attempting to sound encouraging. The surrounding area splintered further and began to tear with an unimaginable grinding sound. Bill had almost reached the top when the compartment couldn't take it anymore and snapped away. Using the last of his strength, Bill propelled himself upward, being caught by Francis and Zoey as the carriage fell down with a loud, sickening crash. The two helped him to his feet and Zoey returned his shotgun. Bill sighed and looked ahead.

'Right… onto the next carriage,' he joked.

The rest of the train did not act as dramatically as the rear compartment and did not collapse through the tracks. Stepping off the train, the survivors navigated the tunnels using the emergency lights as a guide. After a few miles of walking, they arrived at another station, or one that appeared to be a station. They went through an access door to find the subway power plant. The generators were active and there were corpses everywhere.

'Someone must have come through here recently…' Francis thought aloud. Stepping over the bodies, the three made their way through a gateway and up to the power station offices. The door to it was locked tight. Bill aimed his shotgun at the lock and blasted it open. As he stepped through, another gunshot went through the air. Bill jarred and collapsed to the ground.

'Bill!' Zoey screamed, ducking down.

'…Zoey?' a voice called from the room. Behind a table, a figure stood up, holding a gun. It was Louis.

'Louis!' Zoey gasped.

'Damn it Louis,' Bill cried, 'check your fire!'


	4. Dying on the Edge

4. Dying on the Edge

Francis felt a cold, wet drop fall onto his face. Then another drop fell onto him followed by another and another. He rolled over, wiping the water from his face, to avoid the drops. He rested his head on his girlfriend's shoulder. She suddenly woke; shaken Francis' cold skin. Slightly irritated, she looked up at the ceiling and groaned.

'For Christ's sake, Francis!' she moaned, getting out of bed. 'You could put something under that leak instead of letting it spill everywhere!'

'I'm right on it,' Francis mumbled, reaching blindly to the floor and picking up a shoe, sliding it under the leak. His girlfriend muttered in annoyance before noticing the time. Then she cried in shock. This woke Francis up more sufficiently than the cold water. She started getting dressed quickly, pulling on a pair of dark leather trousers.

'You're running late,' Francis noted passively.

'Thanks,' she cried, flicking her messy red hair out of her face. She pulled on a white undershirt that had a picture of a Chihuahua with a flaming head on it and a more formal top on over it. 'Today is the day when the boss decides who's going to be the new assistant manager and I'm damned if I'm not getting it because I'm late!'

'Amanda,' Francis said tiredly, 'I know this means a lot to you but don't get so worked up about it. You'll get grey.' Amanda gave Francis a venomous stare and pulled on some shoes.

'When I'm gone, see if you can fix that leak,' she suggested. Amanda gave him a kiss on the cheek and went for the door. 'That lamb on the side is for dinner tonight, so don't eat it!' She then stopped, turning to face him. '…and… try and find a job today, okay?' She gave him a pleading look.

'Yeah, fine,' Francis muttered. Amanda smiled and left the bedroom. 'Don't crash any planes today,' Francis jokingly called out to her.

Francis put a bowl under the leak and got dressed in his favourite leathers. He left the apartment and climbed the stairs one floor and went for the apartment directly above Amanda's, apartment 404. Francis knocked on the door and waited. When there was no response he knocked again, to the same result. Deciding to try again later, he left the apartment building and went down the street to buy a newspaper. As he headed back, he flicked through the work wanted sections and noted particular articles of interest.

Sat once again in his girlfriend's apartment, he read the paper in front of the television. As he flicked through articles about global recession, people being murdered by mobs and the large number of people who were unemployed, the news suddenly attracted his attention. The newsreaders were talking about an article that he had just read.

'Four tourists were murdered early in the morning; being attacked by what witnesses described the as "a mob, completely foreign to humanity". The four students had been taking a gap year from their studies and were exploring the local nightlife when the attack took place. Witnesses say the four were ambushed by the mob of an unknown number of people, who proceeded to attack with seemingly no motive.'

Francis put the paper down to take in the story, however he had no time to do so as there was a crash from the bedroom. He promptly stood and ran for the door, barging through and slipping over. As he stood up, he noticed the floor was wet. He then noticed, perhaps something more obvious, that the ceiling had a massive hole in it where the leak had come from. Francis saw up through the hole a kitchen, water leaking down one of the work surfaces and down into the apartment.

Enraged, Francis stormed out of the apartment, too angry to close the door behind him. He went downstairs and hammered his fist on the landlord's door. The landlord opened it, looking very agitated.

'Whaddaya want?' he asked, not noticing Francis' venomous expression.

'Get the spare key to 404 and get me into their apartment,' Francis said through gritted teeth, 'before I kick the door down myself.' After having the situation explained to him and taking into account Francis' mood, the landlord took the spare key for apartment 404 and accompanied Francis to the doorstep. The landlord knocked weakly on the wood and was only answered by Francis' increasingly irritated stare. Finally unlocking the door, the landlord and Francis both stepped into their destiny.

Apartment 404 looked beyond damaged. The furniture was broken, the walls were damaged and stained and there was no one to be found. Francis carefully stepped over a broken bookcase and went for the kitchen. The landlord entered the lounge where the television had a chair through its screen. Both Francis and the landlord noticed the copious amounts of what appeared to be blood splattered all around.

'What happened here?' the landlord thought aloud. Francis stepped into the kitchen and saw the hole that peered down into his girlfriend's apartment. A sink tap was leaking; water splashing everywhere and eventually causing that hole. Francis managed to turn off the tap and stepped back from the hole. The landlord appeared behind him and stepped forward. 'Man, some shit defiantly went down in here… did you hear anything?' Before Francis could answer, his vision was drawn just over the landlord's shoulder. The doors of a large coat closet were slowly creaking open. The landlord turned to see what Francis was staring at. The next thing he saw was a flash of something propel itself from the closet and grab him, to start tearing at his flesh. As he was grabbed, the landlord stumbled backward, knocking Francis over and down the hole back into Amanda's apartment. He bounced off the mattress onto the floor was knocked out cold.

Once again a cold wet drop woke Francis from his slumber. Only this time it was not water, but something far more unnerving. Opening his eyes and seeing the blood fall to his face, Francis immediately stood up and ran for the bathroom, washing his face and neck. Then, he stepped into the lounge, looking at the television that he had left on. It was the evening news. Unable to believe the time, he missed the report.

'It has been reported that there are dangerous and aggressive riots citywide. People are urged to stay indoors and do not leave their homes under any circumstances.' As the report went on, the picture started to break up. 'National Guard… control… please…' were the last words broadcast before everything was nullified by static. Francis looked outside the window and down onto the streets. The sky was dark but the streets were bustling with as much activity as if it were day. Cars were abandoned on the street, doors wide open. There appeared to be people wandering around, seemingly aimlessly. He then heard a scream; a woman had run into the middle of the road yelling for help. She was being chased by two other people. Those who were staggering about with no purpose suddenly found one and burst into life, running for her. However instead of helping her, they pinned her to the ground. They then started to attack her; clawing at her face and flesh, tearing deep into her skin and completely decimating her body. The screams pierced Francis' soul.

He ran for the front door, locking it and constructing a barricade of chairs and a bookcase. Doing the same for the bedroom, he had locked himself safe inside his girlfriend's apartment. Francis' thoughts then drifted to Amanda… she was most likely dead. She might have suffered a fate like the woman outside. If these attacks were citywide, then surely they had got to the airport. Airport security couldn't handle an entire city of insane people, neither would the National Guard. No one could handle something like this.

Francis heard a low hiss come from behind. Shivers went down his spine as he realised that he had prevented anything from coming inside, along with preventing anything inside from escaping. Slipping out of the chair, he knelt slowly to the ground. He saw the shadow of something pacing around in the kitchen. He looked over toward the front door barricade and realised he must have left the door unlocked when he had left. The time he was unconscious was plenty for something to slip in but why had it not attacked yet. Leaning around the chair, he saw a figure crouched over the lamb that Amanda had left out. It was prodding the meat, squeezing out the juices and hissing gently at it. Looking over, Francis saw the door to the bathroom was open. He slowly stood up and went for it.

The crouched figure jumped upright and turned, screaming at Francis. It leaped straight for him. Francis dived out of the way and ran for the bathroom. He got inside and slammed the door shut as the creature jumped past the door. Locking it securely, Francis stepped backward and sat down on the toilet, breathing deeply. Suddenly, a hand tore through the wood and reached inside blindly. In a panic and grabbing the first thing close, Francis picked up the toilet brush and hit the hand with it. The attacker grabbed the brush and pulled it through the hole. It then screamed and put two hands through the door, wearing it down. In a matter of moments, it would be broken. Francis went through the cupboards rummaging for something to defend himself with. The door then burst to pieces, the hunter inside with him. Jumping into the shower, Francis pulled the glass door shut. The hunter shattered it and knocked Francis to the ground. As he fell, Francis knocked the taps, turning on the water in a blisteringly hot shower that caused his attacker great pain. Momentarily disoriented, the hunter leant up and scratched at the air. Francis reached for a piece of broken glass, gripping it firmly. The creature then looked back at the pinned target and moved quickly for the kill. Francis plunged the shard of glass into the beast's neck, causing it to cough blood all over his face and then limp over dead. Francis rolled out of the shower, gasping for breath. Looking into the cloudy mirror, he saw his scratched and bloody face. This would be the face of one of the four survivors inside the operations room of one of the city's subway power plants.

Francis, supporting Bill, helped him inside the operations room and sat him down at the table Louis was hidden behind. Zoey ran to Louis, embracing him firmly. The four survivors were finally together.

'Damn it,' Bill groaned, clutching the bullet wound in his arm. 'Why the hell did you do that?'

'I'm sorry!' Louis cried, releasing himself from Zoey. 'I thought you were a zombie!'

'Do I look like one of them?' Bill yelled, pausing between each word.

'Since when do zombies shoot?' Francis added. Louis gave him an unpleasant look. 'I'm Francis by the way.'

'That's Bill,' Zoey said after Bill refused to introduce himself. Louis attempted to smile but Bill refused to look at him. Zoey placed her bag on the table and took out her collected medical supplies. She also emptied the sparse ammunition she had left and one last makeshift pipe bomb. She went over to Bill and started tending to his wound.

'What are you, a doctor?' Bill asked.

'Nah,' Zoey chuckled. 'Just watched a lot of ER…'

'And people said television and videogames would doom us all,' Louis said, attempting a joke. It failed. There was considerable tension in the room. Francis was busying himself barricading the door that they had just come through, desperate not to be involved in the awkward situation. The fact of the matter was simple, however; they would all have to work together if they wanted any chance at escape. It was hardly as though an escape route would land on their doorstep.

In the distance, a gentle roar could be heard. Getting louder and louder, closer and closer, the roar could only be that of an engine.

'Sounds like a chopper…' Bill said, voicing what everyone was hoping. Zoey and Francis immediately left the operations room and ran down the office corridors. The helicopter's engine noise was almost right on top of them. Ahead, there was an open office door and a large window through the room. A searchlight streaked past the glass as the helicopter flew overhead. Running to the window, Francis and Zoey looked up into the sky at the helicopter. It was headed for a tall building that stood out in the now, desolate city. Mercy Hospital sliced through the grim and the hopelessness, standing tall and strong, a beacon for the helicopter that had landed on the roof. Watching it closely, Zoey and Francis leant forward holding their breath. The helicopter then took off once again and made its way over the buildings, heading close to their position. Francis grabbed a computer monitor and threw it through the window. As the monitor smashed into an unsuspecting zombie's head, the helicopter roared over. Francis tried to yell at it to stop but to no avail.

'To anyone who can hear this,' a voice from the news helicopter cried out over a megaphone. 'Proceed to Mercy Hospital in one hour for evacuation.' Flying away into the darkness, Francis looked over to the light, the hospital. Zoey on the other hand, looked at the hospital with apprehension, the thoughts of escape clouded by unforgotten memories. Before Francis could share his excitement, there was a distressed woman below breathing heavily below that caught his attention. With glowing red eyes and a computer monitor covered in blood beside her, the zombie stared up at the two, shaking with what appeared to be rage.

'What the hell is that?' Francis cried. The witch let out a piercing scream and ran forward, smashing through the front doors of the offices. Bill, upon hearing the cry, stood up and grabbed his shotgun with his good arm and Zoey's pipe bomb with his bad arm. The witch tore up the stairs and ran with her claws ready toward Francis. 'Let's get out of here,' Francis suggested, stepping away from the window. As they proceeded to move, the witch appeared through the door way and knocked Zoey aside. It then jumped onto Francis and was poised to destroy him with her claws. Only Zoey's screams could be heard, over Bill's shotgun fire. Kicking the witch off Francis, Bill shot her out of the window and then threw the pipe bomb after her. Landing on a car, the alarm started to wail. The witch screamed with the noise and then looked up at Bill. She was then incinerated when the car exploded with the pipe bomb.

A distant roar echoed over the flames, the roar of countless people rushing with the sole intent of destroying the people that had disturbed them.

'Oh, this is gonna get bad…' Bill muttered. 'We gotta move, now!' Louis staggered out of the operations room, clutching some pistols. He threw Zoey and Francis theirs and kept one for himself. He also carried Zoey's bag of ammunition. Outside, the infected congregated on the entrance to the building. Running into another office, there was another window that led to an alley. Bill dived through the window and fell into the alley, but tore his back. He did not see the chain fence that had been put up to stop people accessing it. 'Jump!' he cried. Zoey, nervous about missing, hesitated. Francis pushed her out and she fell, being caught by Bill. Louis then jumped over but landed on the other side, harming his already frail ankle. Seething in pain, he limped forward with Zoey. Bill stayed behind to wait for Francis.

'Come on you idiot!' Bill cried. Francis jumped out of the window but fell right down to the ground. A large tongue had wrapped around his body, constricting him. Bill saw the smoker through the window and shot it expertly. The window now clogged with smoke, infected were blinded for a moment. 'Come on!' Bill ordered Francis from the other side of the fence. Francis obeyed and started climbing; however more infected were coming from down the other end of the alley. It wasn't long before they'd get to him. Bill needed more ammunition but didn't have enough time to reload as the horde had finally arrived, clutching and clawing at Francis, who was at the top of the fence but couldn't pull himself over. Jumping up, Bill climbed to Francis, grabbed his shoulders and leant back with all his might and pulled him to the other side of the fence. Francis pushed himself off his saviour.

'Thanks, I owe you!' he grinned.

'You wouldn't have to owe me if you didn't stand around like an idiot!' Bill cried, his own way of saying "you're welcome". However, they could not talk as the horde were climbing the fence after them. Running for dear life, the two shot back at the few who had made it over. As they got far enough away, the fence itself broke down and the infected flooded into the alley. They ran as far as they could; coming up to another fence that needed climbing. Throwing his shotgun over, Bill began to climb, followed hastily by Francis. The two ran into what appeared to be a truck stop, with deserted cabs and a refuelling station.

'Bill!' they heard Zoey cry. She was on top of the roof of the warehouses with Louis. The two ran for them, the infected smashing through the other gate fast. Jumping up on one of the cabs, Bill and Francis made their way onto the trailer and then ran for the roof. The infected swarmed around them, climbing up the cab and trailer as well as flooding the entire area. Bill jumped onto the roof and ran higher, however Zoey screamed at him to 'get down!' She and Louis fired at the refuelling pumps, causing them to ignite and then explode. The flames engulfed the entire area and the force of the blast knocked the trailers over. The ground around the pumps shattered and crumbled and glass all around shattered in unison. The explosion had destroyed the infected, leaving the ground that they had just crossed nothing more than a fire pit of destruction.

'I can't believe we made it!' Louis gasped, lying back on the tin roof. Bill removed a cigarette and used the towering flames to light the end.

'Son, we just crossed the street,' Bill took a long breath of smoke and exhaled, sounding satisfied. 'Why don't we hold up on the parties, until we're on that helicopter?' He looked over at Mercy Hospital. The four spotlights that graced through the sky almost looked as though they were beckoning for them to come. Three of the four spotlights had started to flicker and the sky had become overcast. Rain had started to fall gently but in the distance thunder could be heard.

'We should get to the hospital before we have to fight the weather and the zombies,' Louis suggested.

Stepping over the roof, the party of four lowered themselves back to street level. Just around the corner was Mercy Hospital. As they approached their haven, they walked in a diamond formation with Bill taking point, Louis watching the back and Francis and Zoey watching the sides. The odd zombie straggler was easily dispatched as they got closer to their destination. Stepping into the hospital grounds, Zoey looked up nervously at the building.

'You alright?' Louis asked her. Zoey was pale but nodded weakly.

'When we get inside we'll find the first elevator,' Bill instructed. 'Then we can ride it as high as we can and wait on the roof.' Drops of rain had started to fall, gently at first but gradually getting worse. Lightning struck nearby, the large flash causing Zoey to jump. She stood still in the rain causing everyone else to stop.

'Zoey,' Louis called out. 'What the hell are you doing?' Francis went over to her and placed his hands on her shoulders.

'What's the matter?' Zoey shook herself free and walked forward, into the hospital's reception. 'What's her deal? Francis asked Louis. Louis merely shrugged.

Inside the reception, there were bodies scattered about. Some infected were still staggering around but they were killed by the survivors. Stepping past the reception desk, Zoey saw the computer monitor she had knocked over when she escaped from here the first time. The four stepped past the desk and over to the elevators. Bill pushed the call button, but was met with a buzz.

'Broken…' he muttered. He looked around and sighed. 'Looks like we're gonna have to climb!' The survivors then began climbing the stairs. After ten flights Francis demanded a break. Collapsing to the floor, Francis massaged his legs while Bill merely paced for a while, checking his wound. Zoey leant over the barrier, looking for infected.

'So what's the deal then, Zoey?' Louis asked. 'Why do you seem so on edge?' Zoey turned and rested on the barrier.

'I'm fine,' she lied. 'I just… don't like hospitals.' She looked around nervously, her eyes meeting Bill's. He gave her a disbelieving look. 'When the infected took over the city, I was already here,' Zoey said, attracting an inquisitive look from Francis.

'Why were you already here?' he asked. Zoey paused a moment and rolled up her sleeves. Old bandages were wrapped around her wrists. 'Oh,' Francis said as Bill turned away. 'I see…'

'They locked me in an isolation room… if I hadn't done this, I'd probably be dead.'

'We should keep going,' Bill said, continuing up the steps. The others followed closely.

However, they had only climbed a few more steps before they encountered an obstruction. A whole section of the stairs had collapsed, making it impossible to continue climbing. Getting off on the next floor, the survivors split up in twos to find another way around. Zoey and Louis found it; a service elevator that was still working. When they met with their companions, they observed the compartment for a moment.

'It's operating on a different power supply,' Francis said, 'and it goes to the building site upstairs.'

'Or straight down again,' Zoey noted.

'Well we're not backward at going forward,' Louis said and stepped into the carriage. Everyone else followed and Louis pushed the button, sending them skyward.

'Why are they so fast?' Zoey asked abruptly. Everyone looked at her. 'Some of them are missing skin or have been hurt a lot and they're just so damn fast!'

'I want to know what makes them like this…' Louis thought aloud.

'A better question is how come we're not like them?' Francis added. Everyone thought for a moment. 'I mean, we've all been bitten or scratched by those things and we've not turned into them.'

'Yeah,' Zoey agreed. 'We've shared the same environment, too, and we've not shown signs of turning into one of them… maybe we're immune!'

'So it's caused by a virus?' Louis asked.

'It makes sense,' Francis said. 'Maybe it leaked from a lab or something.'

'Terrorists could have released it into the water systems!' Louis added.

'How could anyone want this to happen?' Zoey said dismissively.

'Perhaps they didn't know everything about it?' Francis suggested.

'We can find out all the answers when we get out of here,' Bill said with a tone of finality. 'For now, we should focus on getting out of here because it's the only thing that matters.'

'Sorry Bill,' Zoey said, breaking the brief and awkward silence that followed his statement. 'We're just speculating, you know?'

'There's no use for speculation when you're dead,' Bill replied bluntly.

The elevator stopped and the doors opened. Before them was a construction site; scaffolding, tools and equipment lay scattered around. There were no infected in view and curiously, there were no corpses on the floor. Slowly, Bill stepped out of the elevator and raised his shotgun. The only sound that could be heard was the rain and the thunder in the distance. Cautiously, the survivors made their way through the construction zone. There were no exterior walls, only tape that warned of the hazard. Francis peeked over the tape and saw the vast drop. They were about 23 storeys up, surely far away from any infected.

A pipe fell off some scaffolding, causing everyone to jump. They all turned to see it fall onto the floor and roll toward the edge of the building, falling down to the ground. Zoey sighed with relief and they all continued moving. More things around them became unsettled as they moved, due to the wind that had come with the rain. Unsecured tarpaulin scattered around, ladders began to slide and scaffolding creaked. The noise was getting quite loud; they had to yell just to hear each other. Francis, at the back, pivoted around quickly after hearing a crash. Behind him, Bill and Zoey had turned a corner. Louis was making his way forward when he looked to his left through a dark doorway. A hunter dived out from it and grabbed him, causing him to drop his pistol. Louis and the monster rolled across the wet floor and over the side of the building. Louis managed to clutch onto the ledge but the hunter would not let go of his foot. He tried to shake it free but was unable to. Francis, meanwhile, turned around and ran right past Louis' pistol that had begun sliding toward the edge of the building, to rejoin his companions. Louis kicked the creature's face so that it wouldn't bite him. The gun slid closer and closer to Louis' hand while the hunter plunged it's claws into Louis' leg, trying to climb up his body. Louis screamed in pain and tried to lift himself up. He got his head high enough to see his gun an inch away from the edge of the building. It fell off, Louis caught it and he shot the hunter in the face.

His attacker was falling down the 23 stories however Louis was not rising to safety. He was not clinging to the edge of the building with one hand. He had no strength to lift his other arm up. He was stuck, his grip gradually weakening. The other three survivors had heard the gunshot and stopped.

'Where is Louis?' Zoey asked.

'I thought he was with you!' Francis said.

'Oh shit,' Bill pushed past the other two, who then followed, back to where Louis had disappeared. They looked around and Bill noticed the dark doorway. He stepped inside and found something, although it wasn't Louis. He stepped into a slimy substance, a substance that stuck to his boots. Before he could do anything else, the drywall before him was instantly torn apart and an obese zombie stood before him. Before it could vomit, Bill shot it in the stomach, which subsequently covered him in bile due to the blast. Bill was blinded and staggered out into the open again. He headed close for the ledge but was grabbed by Zoey. The wind and rain stopped; the storm had passed over. However, the silence was filled by the wails of the undead, storming toward the three remaining survivors. The missing construction workers were heading their way.

Louis attempted to call for help but his cries were drowned out over the seas of shouting, screaming and gunfire. From ever direction, the infected converged on the three survivors. Bill was still unable to see, so Francis and Zoey were keeping them at bay. Francis swapped his pistol with Bill's shotgun and started blowing the creatures away. One of them grabbed Bill from behind. Thinking quick, Bill grabbed the zombie's arm and attempted to throw it over his shoulder. However, he only tore the beast's arm off. Zoey shot a couple of infected in the head and noticed Bill's distress. She yelled at him to duck and he did so, causing the zombie to be on his back. She kicked it off him and over the edge. Louis watched it fall down to its death.

Zoey threw Francis more ammunition and Bill began pulling off headshots as Francis kicked away the infected while reloading the shotgun. He wasn't sure how to do it and as a result, he was knocked over by a group of infected while he wasn't looking. Bill ran over to him and shot away some of the horde, while Zoey tried to help from her position. She was closest to the passageway that led away, which was also haemorrhaging infected. As she fired, killed and reloaded, Zoey was slowly being pushed to the edge of the building. Bill helped Francis up and reclaimed his weapon, reloading it quickly. Francis ran to Zoey to help her while Bill covered him. As he got close, so did the infected and Zoey slipped off the edge. Francis grabbed her while her foot was still sliding off and pulled her up. When she fell, Zoey looked over and gasped as she saw Louis clinging off the edge of the building.

Her feet firmly on the ground, Zoey dashed for where Louis' hand was planted. As she got close, she saw Bill get dragged away; a smoker tongue was wrapped around him. Desperate, Zoey ran away from Louis and over to Bill. She ran around the corner and took aim, shooting the smoker in the head from over 20 feet away. Bill fell to the floor but got up again, running back toward the fight. Zoey ran back for Louis' position and knelt down. She grabbed his wrist firmly and tried to pull him up. Louis looked up at Zoey desperately. Suddenly he let go of the edge, unable to keep his strength any long. Zoey fell down onto her stomach, unable to take his weight. She tried desperately to lift him but to no avail. Unsure of what she was doing, Bill and Francis formed a protective ring around Zoey, keeping the remaining infected at bay.

'Grab my hand!' Zoey yelled.

'I… can't,' Louis said desperately.

'Yes you can!' Zoey cried forcefully, trying with all her effort to pull him up. 'Listen to me you son of a bitch; I'm not going to let you die now after everything that's happened! We've survived the zombies so far and I'm gonna be damned if you die from falling off this crumbling piece of shit. Now grab my hand!' Louis tucked his pistol away and slowly raised his hand. Closer and closer it got to Zoey's. He put all of his effort into reaching up and grabbed her, holding on with the last ounce of strength he had left. Zoey raised her body, and shifted into a kneeling on one knee position. The pulled as hard as she could to bring Louis up. She pulled as the zombies around her died. One of the infected tore through the scaffolding, causing a confused ruckus. It ran straight for Zoey but was destroyed by Bill's shotgun. Zoey strained herself as she hauled Louis up over the edge and back to relative safety. She pulled him up and they both collapsed, Louis landing on top of Zoey. Zoey grabbed the gun from Louis' pocket and began shooting upside down. The horde soon died. The infected had ceased their insane pursuit. The survivors had won the battle.

'Thanks,' Louis gasped as he stepped off of Zoey. Francis helped her up and she and Louis swapped weapons. Zoey raided her bag for more ammunition but looked up, her face white.

'We're out of ammo,' she whispered.

'I think we've killed every creature in this God damn hospital,' Bill said. 'The rooftop should be just ahead.' He was correct. The remainder of the journey was absent of any infected. Soon they had reached the roof access ladder. Bill climbed up first and stepped onto the heliport first. The four spotlights that surrounded the building were still active, calling for any other survivors. The current refugees stepped onto the heliport and looked at it with a sense of awe. Even though it was derelict, clearly damaged after countless battles, they had become emotional at the sight. Zoey had tears in her eyes; she could hardly believe that she had come this far.

'None of us could have made it here,' Bill said, 'without each other.' Zoey nodded, tears streaking down her cheeks. Louis put his arm around her as they headed for a small structure to the rear of the landing pad. Francis looked at his watch.

'We've got five minutes until we're free,' he said, barley able to contain his excitement. Even Bill was smiling. As they stepped into the building, there was a surprising sight before them; weapons, medical supplies and ammunition in copious quantities. Rucksacks and backpacks were also stacked in a corner. A radio was located away from the supplies and Bill went over to try and contact someone while the others went over to treat themselves. Zoey stuffed her bag with ammunition, medical supplies, and some Molotovs that were around. She also took a large hunting rifle and loaded it. Francis took an automatic shotgun and filled a backpack with ammo and supplies. Louis took an assault rifle with his supplies. Everyone also took a second pistol. Francis loaded up a bag of supplies for Bill, who was talking to the radio. Handing him his second pistol, Francis knelt down next to the radio.

'No response?' he asked. Bill shook his head. Suddenly the radio burst into life.

'This is news chopper five,' the pilot said. 'Is there anyone there, over?'

'News chopper five,' Bill said excitedly, 'we are four survivors on the roof of Mercy Hospital. We are healthy and safe, request immediate evac, over!'

'Copy that, Mercy. ETA one minute.'

The sound of the helicopter could be heard already. Everyone stepped outside and stared into the sky, looking for their escape. Zoey looked through the rifle scope into the distance and saw the helicopter heading for them. She jumped up and down excitedly as it got closer and closer. Standing at the foot of the ramp that lead to the landing pad, Bill leant against the wall and lit up a cigarette. Taking a deep breath, he felt as though it tasted a little better, a bit smoother. He smiled to himself as escape came closer. Louis and Zoey were already waiting on the landing pad, chatting excitedly.

'What do you want to do when we're safe?' Louis asked her. Zoey tore her stare from the helicopter and onto Louis.

'I dunno,' she answered truthfully. 'You know before I never really thought ahead that much… but now I guess… I know it's silly but everything that's happened has given me a completely new view on life!' Louis smiled at her. 'I mean, having to fight for your life means that surely it's worth living, right?' Louis stopped her from talking by pulling her head toward him and kissing her gently on the lips. When he pulled away he blushed.

'That's thanks, for saving me back there.' Zoey grabbed Louis and pulled him close, kissing him passionately. The two embraced each other while expressing their affection, as Francis stepped out of the other room loading his shotgun.

'This is a lot easier than yours,' he said to Bill. Francis then noticed Louis and Zoey on the helipad. He smiled and then looked at Bill.

'Don't even think about it,' Bill said. Francis laughed and sat on the ground, deciding to let Zoey and Louis have their moment. As his palms were rested on the floor, Francis felt a vibration. He then felt another one, stronger than the first, then another and another. Bill stepped forward, noticing them, too. They were like footsteps…

'Tank!' Francis cried as the helicopter flew past, muffling his warning from the other two. The gunshots, however, did alert their attention. Louis and Zoey pulled away from each other as a tank crashed through the building and yelled loudly. The helicopter levelled out and began hovering next to the landing pad.

'Quick, get in!' the pilot called. Zoey looked back at it and then at the tank again. She began shooting at it, along with Louis. Bill and Francis were trying to get away from it, but the tank was too quick. It punched Bill so hard that he flew all the way over the landing pad and crashed into the side of the helicopter. As Bill fell past the landing pad and safely onto the roof, the helicopter lost its balance and started flying erratically. The tank pulled a chunk of debris from the collapsed structure it had crashed threw and threw it at the survivors. Louis and Zoey dived away from each other, out of the way of the debris that flew into the helicopter's tail rotor. The vehicle suddenly jolted upward and began spinning uncontrollably. On the landing pad Louis, Zoey and joined suddenly by Francis saw their only chance of escape begin to fly out of control. Bill had made his way to the roof access ladder and screamed at Francis. Francis noticed him and nudged Louis and Zoey. They all ran for the ladder. The tank, whose attention was attracted by the damaged helicopter, ignored them as they each slid down the ladder. The four survivors ran as fast as they could through the construction site, jumping over the mass of zombie corpses that they had killed earlier. They turned a corner and saw the elevator in sight. The helicopter, meanwhile, had lost altitude as it circled the hospital in an attempt to stabilize itself. The tank followed it close to the edge as the helicopter came closer and closer to crashing. Soon, however, the helicopter crashed into the construction area of the hospital, in the area directly underneath the tank. The beast fell into the fireball as the landing pad was destroyed. The wreckage tore through the construction site, causing the entire hospital the shake. Bill hammered on the elevator button and the doors opened. Inside, he pushed for the bottom floor and the doors closed as the walls outside were destroyed in a fireball. As they moved down, the compartment was struck by the wreckage, causing it to tilt suddenly. The elevator violently shot down the shaft and eventually through the walls, crashing through the floors of the hospital. The metal compartment tilted and turned as it crashed through the floors of Mercy Hospital, back down to the living dead. Inside, the four survivors were being thrown around the crashing box. It suddenly crashed and stopped on one floor, but skidded toward the side of the building. It smashed through some windows and finally stopped. The compartment hung perilously over the edge of the building, about eight stories from the solid concrete below. Slowly, the box containing the four survivors began to tilt…


	5. Divine Intervention

Divine Intervention

Sticking out of the side of Mercy Hospital high above the ground, an elevator compartment was tilting and falling, along with the four people trapped inside, committing them to their deaths. It was hardly a fitting end. Between them they had survived a war, the odd bar fight, being trapped in a hospital treatment room and a catastrophic plane crash, not to mention the ongoing zombie apocalypse. Now trapped in a box that would become their shared coffin, the survivors lay unconscious and blissfully unaware of their situation. All except for Bill who was jarred awake.

His vision distorted and his head throbbing, Bill tried desperately to make sense of the situation. As things came into focus, he suddenly became aware of the disastrous predicament. He felt the compartment tilt down and saw the cause. He, Louis and Zoey were at one end but Francis had slid to the far end of the elevator, gradually tilting the compartment lower and lower. Bill moved forward but the whole elevator jarred slightly. Staying as motionless as possible, he looked up for the roof access in the thought that they might be able to escape. However the elevator had tilted upside down and the hatch was not located on the ground. Furthermore the elevator doors were where Francis was sprawled unconscious. Even if they had managed to pry them open it would lead them to precisely where they would not want to go; down.

Out of options, Bill had to balance the weight of the elevator before they all came crashing down.

'Francis!' he whispered. Unsure of why he was being quiet, he decided to speak up. 'Francis!' Louis was jarred awake. He had been protecting Zoey, who was now unconscious in his arms.

'Bill?' he spat out a mouthful of blood.

'Francis?' Bill turned to Louis.

'No, I'm Louis.'

'At least you've not got brain damage or something,' Bill said in what appeared to be another attempt on looking on the bright side. Of course in reality, things could only look down, rather than up. Francis started to stir awake too, prompting Bill to grab the handrail of the elevator and extend his arm. 'Francis, you've got to grab my hand!' he called out. Francis sheepishly looked around as the compartment tilted even more. 'Francis!' Bill cried. 'I need you to grab my hand!' Francis, still disoriented, fumbled about, flapping his arms in any direction. Bill turned to Louis and gave him instructions. As he held onto the rail, Louis held onto Bill and extended his arm out so that he was closer to Francis.

'Francis!' Louis said. 'Grab my hand!' Francis, more aware of the situation now, understood what they were saying. Slowly, he reached forward to grab Louis' arm. His fingers got closer and closer while Louis strained himself to try and help his companion. It was then he clamped his hand down on Francis', securing the grip. Relieved, Bill pulled Louis back as Louis pulled Francis over to their side of the elevator, which had now stopped tilting downward.

As Francis stepped over to the safer side of the compartment, he went over the roof hatch. The thin, damaged metal gave way and Francis fell out. He would have fallen straight to his death if it hadn't been for Louis still holding on. He slid over the floor to the hole, but stopped himself falling by extending his legs over the gap and onto the side, stopping himself from falling but still leaving Francis in peril. Louis held onto the biker as tightly as he could but was unable to pull him up; it was talking all of his strength just to hold him there. Francis saw his reflection in the cracked window a few inches from his face. He thought it would be an unusual experience to watch yourself as you fall to your death. Bill clambered over and grabbed Francis' hand, trying to pull him up. Francis could see the glass begin to crack more and the surrounding infrastructure begin to crumble. Their actions to try and save him was unbalancing the elevator; soon they would all be dead trying to save him.

'Let me go!' Francis ordered.

'Not gonna happen!' Bill said flatly as he pulled with all of his might.

'Drop me before this whole thing comes crashing down!' Francis cried. Another hand grabbed his own; Zoey's.

'We're not letting you off that easy!' Together, the three survivors worked as one to save Francis. Slowly, they lifted him up, over the boundary of the gap and finally into the compartment. They all collapsed together in a heap, panting as the elevator tilted back into the hospital and stayed there.

For the time being.

*

A few hours had passed and the survivors were still in the elevator. Injured and in perilous danger but still alive and still together. Every so often, they would hear the sound of glass splintering and cracking coming from below. A particularly loud crack shot through the compartment, causing Zoey to flinch. Louis had his arm around her and moved to embrace her. Zoey shook him off, too tense.

'Are we just going to sit here and wait for rescue?' she thought aloud. 'We've more chance of that tank coming back and pushing us off than another news chopper coming around and picking us up.'

'She's got a point,' Louis agreed.

'What should we do then?' Francis asked. 'I mean, if you're so full of ideas?' There was a brief pause and Zoey looked up, hopeful.

'We can still leave the city!'

'That's great, I just don't know how we're gonna get out of this damned box, let alone the city.' Bill said. There was yet another pause. 'What's you plan?' Bill finally asked.

'Louis and I were originally gonna try and get to the countryside before I ran into you and then got sidetracked,' Zoey said. 'When we met, we made a plan to get into the sewers and use the underground tunnel systems to escape the city limits. I did a paper last term about sanitation and discovered that a huge sanitation pipe dumped the city's waste into the waterways near Riverside. We could get out through there and then head further into the countryside, away from the infected and play it safe for a couple of weeks.'

There was a brief moment of thought.

'I like it,' Bill said. Zoey dived into her bag and pulled out a map.

'This is a map of the underground tunnels. Louis and I had planned a route from a specific point, but we're miles away from that now.'

'Damn,' Francis said.

'Not really,' Louis said perkily. 'We're closer to our final destination now, so all we gotta do is find a way into the sewers, find a way back to our route and then we're home free.'

'Don't count your chickens, son,' Bill scratched his head. 'We still need to figure out how to get out of here.' There was another cracking sound. Francis' face suddenly lit up.

'I got a plan to get us out of here.' Everyone looked at him with anticipation. 'Although, I think it's going to be most dangerous for you, Zoey.'

Zoey gave Francis a bemused look but ten minutes later she had a look of extreme worry on her face. She was perched by the hole, preparing to jump out. Everyone had wished her luck and now all that was left to do was to take a deep breath and then drop out. Francis held on tight as Zoey dangled out in the open, staring at the cracked glass. She took out a pistol and shot it twice. It shattered and cleared away a path. The room before her was a destroyed ward. She started to swing in Francis' arms and then shouted 'now!' when she was closest to the hospital. Zoey flew two feet through the air but over eight stories from the ground. She landed safely in the ward, rolling over the glass and standing triumphantly.

'I'm good!' she called out. She looked to the right and underneath the elevator compartment was a support pillar that was cracked beyond measure. Segments had fallen off and shattered on the ground, which too looked weak. 'Hey guys, hurry up!' Louis positioned himself through the hole and jumped to safety. Now that the two lightest people had escaped, it was between Bill and Francis.

'You go,' they both said in unison. They both gave each other sarcastic stares. The elevator began to tilt again, this time there was no stopping it so they didn't have time to argue. Francis decided to jump next, doing do successfully. However, his jump caused the compartment to lurch forward slightly. It started to slide down the crumbling building faster. Bill positioned himself to jump out but it was sliding down too fast for that.

'Bill!' Zoey shrieked as she saw the box fall down one hundred and sixteen feet, crashing and shattering on the solid ground below. Infected swarmed around the wreckage instantly, growling and hissing. Zoey collapsed to her knees and began sobbing. The support pillar beside them had started to crumble and decay more rapidly now. Segments were collapsing everywhere. Louis knelt down to Zoey and put his arm around her.

'Zoey…' he said softy but she did not hear.

'Oh, God… Bill…'

'Zoey, we have to go.' Francis helped her to her feet and the three remaining survivors hastily departed from the crumbling ward.

Stepping into the corridor, Zoey stormed away heading for the stairs back down to the ground.

'I hate, _hate_, hospitals!' she wept, smashing open the stairwell door. A lone infected was stood there but she simply beat it away, knocking it down over the railing. Descending one floor she stepped over the corpse and continued the head for the ground. However she suddenly stopped. She looked at the door leading to floor seven. Louis and Francis caught up to her.

'What is it?' Louis asked. Pushing them away, Zoey rushed onto the floor and looked around. She headed down the corridor, breaking into a run.

'Zoey where the hell are you going?' Francis called after her. Zoey reached a door and pulled on it, but it was locked. She ran for the nearby nurse station and found some keys. She chose the correct key label and unlocked the door. When it opened, Louis dropped his assault rifle.

'Bill!' he gasped.

'Yeah, like you didn't see that coming!' Bill joked, stepping out of the room. The window behind him was smashed and glass was on the floor. While he missed floor eight, he managed to get to floor seven. Zoey embraced him, sobbing. When she finally stepped away from him, she wiped her eyes and than pounded his chest with her fists.

'Don't you do that again!'

The reunion was cut short as there was a sound of crumbling and metal grinding from above. The support pillar on floor eight finally gave way and crashed down. Far above on the remains of the roof, the wreckage of the escape helicopter became dislodged and started crumbling down along with the construction site.

'We gotta get out of there,' Bill said, leading them toward the stairwell. The four ran down the steps as fast as they could, the floors above crashing down. A chunk of concrete fell by through the gap in the stairwell. Picking up the pace, the four reached the ground floor and jumped through the doorway. As they escaped, tonnes of concrete smashed through the walls. Running through the reception, the survivors escaped through the main doors, ignoring the few scattered infected. As they ran past the wreckage of the elevator, there was a bang, louder than the sound of the collapsing building. Turning, the survivors saw the still flaming helicopter shell rip from the building and crash on the ground toward them. They dived out of the way and it missed them, barley. The rest of Mercy Hospital was raised to the ground.

'No Mercy Hospital now…' Louis muttered as everyone stood back up.

'I dunno,' said Francis. 'Twisted metal and concrete… seems perfect for these guys.' He began shooting the infected that were now heading toward them. Everyone else quickly stood to attention and began firing, making short work of the horde with their new weapons. When the infected were dead, the survivors reloaded and stood together.

'So… the sewers then?' Francis said.

The four survivors looked for the nearest manhole. Zoey found one on the street opposite the hospital and managed to pry it open with her hunting rifle. The four gathered around the manhole and looked at each other.

'Ladies first?' Francis joked.

'After you then, Francis,' Bill pushed him down the hole. Francis looked around and ushered everyone else down. Zoey, being the last one, replaced the manhole and stepped down off the ladder. The tunnels were dark and damp. Zoey took Bill's lighter and illuminated the map.

'Flashlights would've been good about now…' she muttered as she tried to get her bearings.'

'Oh I dunno,' Francis joshed. 'A match takes out the nasty smells in your bathroom. Maybe a lighter can make this place smell… less.'

'It doesn't smell as much as I thought it would,' Louis said.

'Yeah,' Bill nodded to the ground. 'There's no sewage flow, that's why. They must have hit the treatment plant.'

'You say that as if they're coordinating their plans…' Zoey muttered as she traced her finger over the map. 'Okay, we're definitely closer than I would have thought. We take a few turns then it's about five miles down…' Francis spoke over her.

'Wait, five miles! You're serious?'

'Then we turn here and it's another three.'

'Christ…' An inhuman scream echoed around the tunnels. Everyone looked up in surprise, Zoey dropping Bill's lighter.

'What the hell was that?' she whispered.

'Do you know which way we need to go?' Bill responded.

'Yes,' she gasped.

'Then I think we'd better go. Right now.' In agreement, the survivors made their way toward their destination. There were emergency lights glowing in red that illuminated the path they walked. Zoey and Louis were leading at the front while Bill and Francis were at the rear.

'I can't honestly say that this is how I had planned to spend my nights,' Francis whispered.

'I don't think anyone would have planned for this,' Bill replied.

'Do you reckon there's a cure?'

'I don't know.'

'Do you think the government is still around?'

'I think from now on, we're going to have a life no one has ever experienced.'

'Not since we were tribal, thousands of years ago, anyway,' Louis added. There was a brief pause. 'Back then, we all fought each other. Now it's the same.'

'No, it's not,' Zoey said. 'We're fighting them, but not each other. They're not people anymore.'

They turned a corner and continued forward. After a few feet, they turned another corner and then another after several feet. The survivors set off on their five mile long tunnel journey. The red lights guiding their way, the four slowly advanced, on constant alert. A deep groan suddenly echoed from the darkness. Everyone stopped and looked around.

'Boomer,' Zoey gasped. They could not see it anywhere, only the groans could be heard. The echoing tunnel made it seem as if it was coming from every direction. They stepped past a large watertight door, the bulkhead was closed but water was trickling from the edges, forming a puddle on the ground. Splashing through it, the survivors began to pick up the pace after hearing a louder groan. Moving faster, the survivors broke into a quick amble before suddenly stopping and turning around. There was a sound of splashing.

'Behind us!' Francis cried, shooting wildly into the distance. After a few shots there was an explosion.

'He's dead,' Bill said thankfully. 'Let's keep going.'

The rest of the five mile journey was uneventful. When they turned to do the final three miles, the survivors were beginning to relax. Soon they would be out of the sewers and near Riverside. Ahead there was a droning murmur. It was faint at first but became louder as they advanced further. Another mile and they passed another bulkhead, this time the door was open. The noise was very loud here and Francis looked through the gap. Through the passageway was a dark, empty water pool. Sat just in the line of sight was a creature slumped to the ground, weeping uncontrollably.

'Witch…' Zoey whispered. The loud noise was coming from the area the witch was in, but could not be made by her. There were machines around the creature that could be responsible. As the creature was not aggressive, Zoey stepped forward into the pool and looked around, confident that she would be ignored. She waved for her companions to join her and they obliged. A good ten feet away, the witch ignored them as they slowly made their way round the treatment pool, climbing a ladder and stopping on a control platform.

'From here, we can go over that bridge and then we'll be out,' Zoey whispered.

'One problem though,' Bill noted. 'The bridge needs to be lowered. If we do that, there's a good chance we'll disturb that witch.'

'We've got better weapons now,' Francis pointed out. 'We can handle the one witch.' Bill thought for a moment and nodded. Louis and Francis moved over to the console to lower the bridge while Bill and Zoey aimed for the weeping infected below. Louis looked over to Bill who nodded and then activated the console. The mechanism made a lot of noise, causing the previous murmur to stop, being replaced with a scream. The lights in the room suddenly activated, lighting up the entire area. Bill nearly dropped his shotgun, mortified at the sight before him. The noise before was not made by machines but rather the group of creatures that had been hiding in the shadows behind the witch. Before them were roughly fifty infected, all of them witches. All of them were glaring at the survivors, their glowing red eyes piercing through them. Suddenly, they all screamed and jumped into action.

Francis panicked, remembering the experience with the witch he had already been through. Before him on the control panel was a button labelled "flood". He pressed it but nothing happened aside from a churning sound deep within the sewers. The bridge was almost lowered enough to cross, but the witches would be there too quickly.

'Burn the witch!' Zoey cried, removing her Molotov. Igniting them with Bill's lighter, the survivors created a wall of flame that the witch army could not cross. The bridge lowered and the survivors ran for their lives. Bypassing the flame, the witches merely ran through it and over the bridge. On the other side, the survivors ran into a circular passageway. As the witches crossed the bridge, a crash came from a passageway over the bridge. Gallons of water suddenly poured out, crushing most of the witches and destroying the control panel. Quickly, the water flowed into the passageway the survivors had run into. Still being chased by a few witches, the survivors kept running. Louis looked over his shoulder and saw the water.

'You cleared the pipes!' he yelled. They would never be able to outrun the water or the witches. At this rate, they would either drown or be decimated by their pursuers. Unwilling to give up, Zoey led the survivors around a corner. Ahead was a ladder, behind were the witches. Bill turned and blasted them at the legs. The infected fell to the ground and they had the chance they needed. Zoey and Louis darted up the ladder, closely followed by Francis and then Bill. As Bill began climbing, water ploughed through the tunnel toward him. He climbed as fast as he could, the witches being swept underneath him. When he emerged from the manhole, Bill pulled the cover over it. Everyone rested for a moment to catch their breath.

Water leaked from the edges of the manhole and then it suddenly burst open, the claw of a witch exposed.

'Run!' Bill cried. They left through a door and emerged in a forested area. Blindly, the survivors ran as fast as they could, coming onto a road. In the distance, the cry of the surviving witches could be heard.

'There!' Zoey screamed. In the distance, a church stood out in the sky. There were lights. The survivors ran for the church. Behind, three witches jumped from the forest. The survivors entered the church graveyard. Louis pulled the gates shut and followed his companions up a hill that led to the building. Zoey was the first to reach the door. There were corpses nearby. She hammered on it desperately. 'Hello, please! Is anyone there?'

'Is that another person?' a voice from behind the door asked.

'Open the door! Now!' she pleaded.

'You're crazy!' he cried. 'You want to kill me. Well I'm not gonna let that happen.' The witches broke through the gate. They would be there in a matter of moments.

'We're human, God damn it!' Zoey cried.

'No, no, no. You're infected. I'm clean. I'm gonna stay clean.'

'Open the fucking door before we die!' Zoey screamed. The others were shooting the three infected but there was no effect. 'There are four of us! We've got supplies, weapons and…' Zoey paused. 'We've got an escape plan!' she lied. 'We can escape, you can escape with us! Help us help you!' A viewing window opened and Zoey saw a set of eyes staring at her. 'Please.'

The door burst open and a tall, thin man with grey hair stepped out.

'Get down!' he yelled, throwing a grenade over the other three survivors. It landed just in front of the witches and exploded, knocking them back.

'Come on!' Zoey yelled. The four survivors ran into the church and their new host closed the door, locking it tight. He immediately began barricading, ignoring the others. When he was done he turned and took a breath. The room was remarkably small and bare. All decoration had been moved to block the door. The few windows were boarded up. The only lights were hanging gas lamps and candles. A ladder was in the middle of the room leading up to an annex. Up there was a sleeping bag and a large bookcase. There were several copies of the bible and books by Shakespeare and Nietzsche. Their saviour seemed to realise that there were others in his space.

'Hello, hi, hello, yes nice to… yes.' The man turned away and walked to a boarded window. Outside there were no other infected that he could see. He was dressed in grey overalls, clothes a cleaner would wear.

'Thank you for letting us in,' Louis said, breaking the silence.

'You swore…' the man said, turning to Zoey. 'You shouldn't swear. This is the Lord's house.' Zoey, clearly surprised by the comment, stepped back slightly.

'I'm… sorry?' she said rather forcefully.

'God has allowed us to live and live in his house,' the man said walking around the room, once again ignoring everyone. It was unclear whether or not he was talking to them or himself. 'God is kind and merciful.'

'What's your name?' Bill asked. The man turned to look at him.

'Robert, Bob to my friends but you can call me Robert.'

'Well… Robert,' Zoey said, approaching him. Robert turned to her and stood close.

'You can call me Bob.' There was a sudden noise from outside. Robert scurried up the ladder. Zoey gave Louis an uncomfortable look. In the attic, Robert had a sniper rifle. He ran to a window, which had a locked iron gate over it. He took aim through the bars and fired at several infected that were approaching the church. As they fell dead, Robert placed the rifle down and moved to his sleeping bag. Kneeling by it, he looked up to a wooden cross over his makeshift bed and began praying. From below, the survivors heard mutterings of forgiveness. They all looked to each other nervously.

'What's happening?' Louis whispered.

'This guy doesn't seem to have all his screws fitted…' Francis thought aloud.

'Maybe we should go…' Zoey suggested sheepishly. 'I mean…' Robert climbed down from above, holding his sniper rifle.

'They're all gone,' he reported. 'Gone, gone for good. Gone.' He gripped his sniper rifle tight. He noticed Bill eyeing it. 'You like it?' Robert stepped toward him, the other survivors stepped back as he moved. Bill stayed put, letting him stand close to him. 'This works, it's very good. Very, very good. I can see the entire town from here with this thing.' Robert smiled. He then looked around at the others, who were looking at him uneasily. 'What's wrong?' he asked. 'Why are you staring, you're being rude, so, so rude? You've not even told me your names yet.'

'I'm Bill, this is Francis, Zoey and Louis.'

'Zoey, so nice to meet you!' Robert gripped her hand and shook it enthusiastically. 'It's been so long since I've had company.'

'How long have you been here?' Louis asked. Robert turned to him and looked at him with annoyance.

'Almost… two weeks,' he said. 'God opened His arms to me and protected me. He has plans for me.'

'I see,' Bill muttered. 'You the caretaker for this place then or something?'

'Oh no,' Robert said as if Bill had asked a stupid question. 'I worked at the school.' He smiled genuinely. 'I take care of the fish.'

'The… fish?' Francis asked.

'Oh yes. Yes, I take care of the fish. George, Albert, Peter and Max. They were in Miss Baker's class. They didn't like it in there, no, not one bit. They just sat there, doing nothing. No fun, not one bit. But it doesn't matter now. They're dead. All of them. George, Albert, Peter and Max. When the devil possessed those poor souls and attacked the school.'

'Did the kids get out?' Zoey asked. Robert started at her blankly.

'No they all died,' he said matter-of-factly. 'They died with George, Albert, Peter and Max. I couldn't save them. I couldn't save myself but God saved me. He had a plan for me. The plan was for me to meet you.' He only looked at Zoey when he said this. Bill cleared his throat and stepped forward.

'What about those people outside?' he asked. 'The corpses by the door.'

'They were lost souls… couldn't be saved. Nothing could be done. Shame. Terrible, terrible shame.' There was a pause. Louis looked at Robert and noticed that aside from a bit of dust and soot on his clothes and face, he was clean. He did not have any scratches or injuries.

'Have you been in contact with any of them?' Louis asked.

'No. No? No, I've been in here for two weeks.'

'And through that time, you've not had any contact with anyone, alive or… infected?'

'What's your point, Louis?' Francis asked.

'Yes, what is your point?' Robert asked.

'You might be at risk of infection,' Louis said rather candidly.

'I don't understand?' Robert looked around the room. 'What do you mean?' Zoey looked to Louis and shook her head at him slightly. He did not notice.

'Well, everyone that turned into those… things… they were infected. Now we've not become infected yet so we must be immune but since you've not come in contact with any of them then…'

'I don't understand…'

'Well…' Louis started but was interrupted by Robert, holding up his weapon to Louis. Everyone else raised their own weapons. 'Dude! What the hell?'

'Do not blaspheme! This is the Lord's house! You will be quiet!'

'Okay, okay, calm down…' Louis said, his forehead brim with sweat.

'Louis, shut up,' Bill instructed. 'Robert, how about you put the gun down?'

'Why don't you put your gun down? Why don't you tell me what you're trying to say, Louis? This is God's work. We have sown the seeds for our punishment, we are being punished for our sins. Only those chosen by God will survive.'

'Okay, that's fine…' Louis panted.

'Louis, shut the hell up!' Bill insisted.

'Do not blaspheme!' Robert insisted. 'Why did I let you in here? You're bringing offence to God. You think the plague of the living dead is not God's doing? You believe it is a virus? Wrong, you're so wrong. You think I am infected? What about you, Louis? Maybe you're infected? Why don't I send you outside like I did the others? You might be infected. All of you might have given me a disease and kill me. Why, why me?'

'It's not going to be you, Bob,' Zoey said, trying to calm him down. 'You're not going to get infected… as you said; God has a plan for you.'

'Yes, yes you're right. I know my plan.' He cocked his weapon and Louis whimpered slightly. 'God wants me to purify the human race. He wants me to banish the adulterers, murderers and blasphemers.'

'Don't shoot me!' Louis begged.

'If you shoot Louis,' Zoey said slowly, 'I think you'll anger God… Louis is a person, he's not one of them out there.' Robert still held the rifle tight. 'If you kill Louis, it'll be murder. Murder in the house of God is inexcusable!' Robert seemed to think about this. 'Bob!' Zoey yelled at him. He lowered the weapon and Louis stepped away quickly. Zoey ran to him and the two embraced tightly. There was a brief moment of silence where everyone tried to calm down.

'Well thank you for your help,' Bill said insincerely, breaking the quiet. 'I think we'll get going now.'

'But you can't!' Robert stood in front of the ladder. 'No, no you can't! You'll end up like them out there.'

'We'll take our chances,' Francis backed him up. 'Let us leave. Now.' Robert thought for a moment. He looked over to Zoey and Louis.

'You can leave through a window through the attic, it's safe… yes, completely safe. Well it's not that safe but you can slide down to the ground from there, yes you can it's so very easy. Just climb up.'

'You go first,' Louis told Zoey. She obliged, climbing up the ladder. When she climbed up, Robert suddenly moved the ladder himself and started climbing.

'The gate over the window is locked, let me unlock it for you,' he said, reaching into his breast pocket as he climbed. Bill eyed him suspiciously. When Robert climbed up, he turned and looked at the others. 'Come up, no time to waste, hurry, hurry, hurry!'

Bill moved to climb the ladder. When he was halfway up, Robert took his rifle and started shooting through the hole wildly.

'No!' Zoey screamed, running for him. Robert punched her in the face with the butt of his rifle and she fell back. He grabbed the ladder and pulled it up through the hole. He then slammed the trapdoor shut and toppled the bookcase over it. Zoey lay on the ground, dazed. Robert knelt next to her and stroked her forhead.

'No one is going hurt you now,' he whispered in her ear. 'I'm going to take… real good care of you…'


	6. Ultimatum

6. Ultimatum

Two lights drifted across the skies of Riverside, rising from the small town's church as if they were summoning for a higher power to come to the rescue during this time of crisis. The only chance Zoey had of rescue was leaving the church through the now destroyed barricade. Outside Bill, Francis and Louis rested on the outer wall of the church. Bill was clutching his arm while Francis and Louis paced aimlessly around the outside. He looked at the corpses that had been present when they arrived and saw gunshot wounds. They did not appear to have been infected…

'Why is it everyone I meet shoots me?' Bill muttered.

'I blame your charming personality…' Francis joked.

'You guys!' Louis interrupted, looking away from the bodies. 'We can't just sit around here! Zoey's in there!'

'You're right, we have to help her,' Francis added. Bill hesitated.

'How do you think we can help her?' he asked.

'Well… we get in and…'

'How can we get in there, Louis?' Bill snapped. 'We can't exactly climb walls!'

'We can't just do nothing!' Louis protested. Bill hesitated again. 'We're not leaving her!'

'If we try and rescue her,' Bill said slowly, 'we will most likely get injured or even killed. Zoey wouldn't want us to risk our lives.'

'She'd do the same for us, Bill,' Francis said softly. He looked to Louis and nodded. 'We're not leaving without her. Bill, you can go off by yourself but I don't think you'll survive on your own.' Bill was quiet for a while. He then stood up, brushing his arm and loading his weapon.

'God damn it,' he muttered. 'We need a plan.' Louis smiled gratefully at him.

The three walked around the church building and stepped into the town of Riverside. It was much like the city; police cars and army jeeps left abandoned in the streets and corpses lay slumped everywhere. The various buildings, small houses and businesses, had been through heavy fighting. Spent ammo cases rolled along the ground in the gentle wind. Walking beyond the church, they looked around and saw power cables leading from a nearby building to the church.

'We could go across there…' Bill suggested. 'We'd need to find a place to turn off the power though. I don't fancy being electrocuted.'

'Good plan,' Francis agreed. 'Let's look in that warehouse then.' There was a loud click from behind. Bill turned to see Robert in the upper church window. He was aiming his rifle at them.

'Go,' Bill ordered. Gunshots filled the silent air as Robert fired at the three survivors. He aimed his shots so they would not reach the nearby warehouse. Diving behind the police car, Louis knelt and started shooting back.

'I wouldn't do that, heathen!' Robert called out, taking cover. 'I'm looking at your lovely companion here. I'd hate for something… unpleasant to happen to her.'

'You son of a bitch!' Louis yelled. In the church Zoey started to stir. Realising he could not keep Zoey and the three outside at bay he decided to get rid of one of the problems. He stood up and moved to church bell rope. He gripped it firmly and took a deep breath. Zoey came to and looked up at Robert. She knew what he was about and she shook her head, pleading for him to not do it. Robert pulled the cord and the deafening bell ring echoed for miles.

'Ding, dong!' he yelled over the rings. 'Ding, dong!' As the bells ringed the three survivors on the street were defenceless. Behind a jeep, Bill and Francis knew they were sitting ducks. Bill opened the vehicle's door and got in the drivers seat. Francis joined him in the passenger's side. Bill pulled down the visor and took the keys that were hidden there.

'God old predictable National Guard,' Bill smiled, turning on the engine. Putting the vehicle into gear, he drove it forward. Louis was shooting the approaching infected that were in the distance. He would be dead in a matter of moments if he wasn't rescued. Fortunately for him; Bill drove into the police car, knocking it away. The jeep stopped right beside Louis and he jumped into the back seat. Bill turned the jeep and drove off down the street. Infected quickly swarmed the vehicle. 'Get them off our back!' Bill instructed.

Francis poked his head from the sunroof and began shooting at the horde. Louis shot out the back window and fired on all the infected that he saw. Bill turned a corner, continuing to plough through the horde. The jeep was difficult to control as it drove over the bodies. The noises that filled the air was gunfire, combined with the crunching and shattering of the corpses as Bill ploughed over them. Louis threw a Molotov out the window, creating a barrier that killed all infected that crossed it. There were only a few infected left ahead. On top, Francis looked into the distance and jumped back inside the jeep.

'Tank!' he yelled.

'God damn it!' Bill muttered. 'Okay everyone out.' Before they could protest, Bill yelled again. 'Out!' Francis and Louis jumped out of the jeep as it was still moving, rolling on the ground. Bill accelerated intensely. While Francis and Louis dispatched the remaining infected, Bill drove closer and closer to the tank, which was punching obstructions out of its way. Going as fast as he could go, Bill clutched the steering wheel tight. He then looked at the driver's door and back at the tank, which was only a few meters away. 'This is gonna hurt,' Bill said to himself. He jumped out of the door and rolled along the ground. The jeep ploughed straight into the tank, knocking the tank over and causing the jeep to lift off its wheels, tilting forward. Still rolling, Bill aimed his gun and shot the jeep's underside a few times. The vehicle exploded, sending Bill flying even further back and breaking the tank apart.

The infected gone, Francis and Louis ran up to Bill. Helping him up, Bill groaned in pain, clutching his shoulder.

'It's dislocated,' he informed them. He gripped it tight and looked to Francis. 'I need you to pull!' he instructed. Francis nodded sheepishly and took hold of Bill's shoulder. With effort, he pulled and there was a loud crack noise that came from Bill's shoulder. He cried out in agony, kneeling down to the ground. 'Damn it, that's smarts…'

In the church, Robert smiled as he heard Bill's cries of pain. He looked over to Zoey and sighed. He stepped toward her but she crawled away. Pressed against a wall, she began breathing heavily.

'No need to worry,' Robert said. 'I'm going to take care you. Yes, yes, I will be your new friend.'

'I don't want to be your friend!' Zoey spat. Robert shook his head and his finger.

'No, no that is wrong. Very bad. Friends are important, we need friends to survive.'

'You just killed all of my friends!' Zoey yelled. Robert recoiled in surprise.

'They were not your friends, how well did you know them?'

'Oh, like we're old pals,' Zoey said sarcastically.

'We can be pals, we can be pals!' Robert jolted closer to her. Zoey stood up, her back still to the wall. 'I can protect you from them.'

'I don't need protection!' Zoey put her foot forward, staring at him venomously. The two exchanged glances for a moment. Zoey took her eyes off Robert and saw her hunting rifle on the floor beside Robert. She never had a chance to get to it as Robert, taking advantage of Zoey not looking at him, jumped forward and restrained her. Grabbing her arms, Robert held her firmly in place. Zoey struggled to break free, but Robert was much stronger than she was. He managed to wrestle her to the ground and got close to her face.

'Please don't fight,' he whispered. 'No, no don't fight. I think bad things will… happen if you fight.'

'Fuck you!' Zoey gasped, trying to break free. Robert tightened his grip and became angry.

'This… is God's house…' he hissed through gritted teeth.

'This,' Zoey yelled, 'is a kick in the balls!' Zoey kneed him in the groin. Moaning in pain, his grip loosened. Zoey managed to break free and dived to her hunting rifle. She turned over to aim it but Robert kicked it out of her hand, causing it to fall through the window. Zoey kicked him in the face, knocking him over. She ran over to her bag and took out a pistol.

'No!' Robert yelled, launching himself at her again. He grabbed her wrist and aimed the weapon in the air. A few shots were fired and he managed to pry the weapon away from her. He pushed himself away from her, causing Zoey to fall back into some books. Looking up, Zoey saw her own gun being pointed at her. Looking down, a copy of the Tempest was over her foot. Kicking her foot into the air, the book went straight into Robert's face. Stunned, Robert stepped back, firing into the air. Zoey launched herself onto him, seizing the weapon. She rolled along the ground and stood up, keeping her distance and aimed the gun for Robert's head. Robert slowly got to his feet. Zoey's hand was shaking slightly. 'You don't want to do this, Zoey.'

Zoey pulled the trigger. The gun emitted a sickeningly hollow click. Robert smiled demonically, holding up a handgun magazine. Zoey realised the gun was not loaded. Robert grabbed his own sniper rifle and aimed it at Zoey's chest.

'It's hard to miss when you're this close,' he said erratically. Zoey let the empty gun fall to the floor. Suddenly, something wrapped around her torso; a smoker tongue. She looked up from the tongue and desperately stared at Robert. Before he could react, Zoey was pulled out of the window and fell to the ground with a loud crack. Robert looked outside and followed the trail of the tongue with his rifle. Zoey was dragged through the church courtyard but became stuck on the surrounding fence. Robert shot he smoker through the head and saw Zoey fall limp. Panicking, he took the ladder and hung it down the church wall. He climbed down and ran for Zoey. He knelt down next to her and checked her pulse. She was still alive. Robert lifted her and took her back to the church.

Laying her down on his makeshift bed, Robert stood up and thought for a moment. Zoey was unconscious and Robert attempted to wake her. He shook her vigorously but received no response. He stepped away and searched through his possessions. He pulled out some plastic wire and tied her arms behind her back. He took some more wire and locked her to a radiator. Taking his rifle and Zoey's pistols, Robert stepped out the window, locking the metal gate behind him. He set off looking for assistance. After a few moments, Zoey opened her eyes and sat up, fully alert. She tried to tear herself away from the radiator but could not pry from the restraints. Looking around desperately, she noticed that the radiator was not turned on. Positioning herself so she could turn the knobs with her feet, Zoey switched it on. She waited as it gradually got warmer.

'What's the plan now?' Francis asked. Bill was rubbing his injured arm. He took out some painkillers from his bag and swallowed them. 'Careful, you're gonna get addicted,' he joked. Bill gave Francis a displeased look.

'I'll check into rehab later, right now we need to go back.' Bill got to his feet and led the other two down the street in the direction of the church. Taking cover behind an abandoned news van, they looked into the distance at the church. The lights were still on.

A few hundred feet from them, Robert broke into the electronics store, although it looked as if someone had got there before him. The pungent smell of rotting flesh clung the air, caused by many of the corpses on the floor. Robert covered his face and hurried into the back room. Inside were various electronic devices, mostly broken. However, Robert stepped onto a table and lifted up one of the ceiling panels, pulling out a communications radio from the hiding spot. He placed it down on the table, next to a picture of a family smiling next to a Christmas tree. Robert was in the picture, grinning with the others. Clearing the table, he proceeded to activate the device. He tuned it and started broadcasting.

'M-my name,' he said into the microphone, 'is Robert Sylvester. I am in the town of R-Riverside with four other survivors. To anyone who receives this; we w-would be grateful for any assistance. Zoey has fallen and is unconscious. We need help.' Robert paused and exhibited a nervous twitch. 'Please,' he said before turning off the microphone and destroying it. He lifted the radio's only portable receiver and left, heading back for the church.

Bill and the others were quietly stalking through the shadows; slowly making their way closer to Zoey.

'Hold up!' Louis said. Bill and Francis turned to him. 'Listen…' They could hear the sound of a radio, Robert's radio to be exact.

'This is Kyle Adler,' Robert's portable radio suddenly said. 'Is anyone there?' Robert lifted the radio to his face and spoke.

'Hello? Hello?'

'Mr Sylvester?' Kyle asked.

'Yes, yes! Hello! Please help!' Robert pleaded. Louis arrived in the electronics store and found the radio device. He and the others could hear both ends of the conversation.

'What is your condition?' Robert was asked.

'We're okay, we're not infected!' Robert told him. 'Zoey has fallen though, hit her head. Very bad, it looks bad. We need to help her!' Louis' face suddenly fell. Francis put a hand on his shoulder. 'We're in the church! I went to get some supplies so I'm heading back now.' With that, Louis jumped back out into the street, hastily followed by Bill and Francis.

'We're heading for Riverside now,' Kyle said. 'We're on a boat. We've got a few survivors on board but we're not getting on land to meet you. You'll have to see us by the marina.'

'Yes, yes, that is understandable. Very safe. I will see you soon.'

'ETA in approximately forty-five minutes,' Kyle said before disengaging. When Robert put his radio away, he was stepping through the front gates of the church. As he went for the ladder, he heard a noise from behind. Turning, he saw Louis running straight for him. Robert instantly began firing without hesitation. Louis dived out of the way of the gunfire and took cover. It was enough time for Robert to make it up the ladder.

'Damn it!' Louis yelled.

In the church, Robert smiled at Zoey.

'You're alive and awake that is good, very good. I would feel so terrible if anything bad happened to you.' He took his sniper rifle, reloaded it and took aim down the street. He saw no sign of movement. Zoey looked away from him. The plastic on the wires was gradually wearing away. Robert looked to at her again and suddenly looked concerned. 'Oh my, you're bleeding!' Zoey hadn't noticed that her nose had begun to bleed. Robert went over to her but she kicked him away.

'Don't you touch me!' she spat. Robert slowly stepped backward. He suddenly saw movement outside and turned to fire, but stopped. Infected had started to flow into Riverside once again. There was no sense in wasting ammunition on those that were already dead.

'We're going to be rescued,' he told her. 'I called on the radio. A lovely man named Kyle said he would pick us up, very kind indeed. But we have to be at the marina in about forty minutes, yes. It was forty-five when I spoke to him, you see but it took five minutes for me to get here. Come to think of it; it will take thirty, no, ten minutes to get from here to the marina so we should leave in about thirty minutes.'

'What makes you think I'm going anywhere with you?' Zoey said scathingly. Robert gave her a genuine look of surprise.

'Well I'm not going to hurt you,' he said.

'Tell that to me when I'm not tied up.'

'I've taken you here for your own protection. Those people, those… men that you were travelling with are all the same; waiting for the perfect moment to take advantage of you.' Robert stepped close to her. 'That… Louise man.'

'Louis!' Zoey corrected.

'The black one,' Robert ignored. 'I know his type. Nice and upstanding, a good friend but when you get to know them they're…'

'Just like you?' Robert frowned.

'Like it or not,' he said, 'I have managed to secure an escape from this place. What have they ever done for you?'

'They've never attacked me!' Zoey said.

'I've not attacked you,' Robert justified. 'I have merely prevented any harm from coming to you.' The plastic suddenly tore. 'What was that?'

Zoey dived from the radiator and punched Robert in the face. Knocking him over she stood tall and pushed him aside. She lifted his rifle and aimed it at him. He was trapped. Zoey moved over to grab her bag but stumbled. Her vision became distorted and she felt incredibly dizzy. Wobbling on one spot, her nose continued to bleed. Zoey supported herself against a wall but then collapsed back down to the ground. Robert ran over to her and checked her pupils.

'Oh no…' he said to himself. 'No, no this is bad. Very, very bad.' Robert attempted to shake her awake, but Zoey remained unconscious. 'We've got to go…' he said. 'Over, no… too soon. We'd be trapped. Unless your friends… no most of them would kill me… unless I kill them first, unless that happens then I can go and…' Robert sat in the middle of the room and looked up at the cross on the wall. 'What do I do?' he asked it. Zoey coughed up some more blood and began choking. Robert ran to her and tried to help her breathe. 'What do I do?' he asked her. After she finished choking, Zoey looked up at him blankly. She was breathing very heavily.

'Robert…' she gasped. He ignored her.

'What do I do, what do I do? If I couldn't save George, Albert, Peter and Max how can I save you?' He seemed incredibly distressed. He picked up the sniper rifle and aimed it at her. 'This is the only way to save you, I think…'

'Bob!' Zoey said with all her strength. Robert lowered the gun and then dropped it, weeping.

Outside, the survivors had regrouped and were perched behind a building that was near the church. Bill looked around every so often and saw Robert inside. He had a clear view of the street and would be able to take them out without any trouble. Infected had started to populate the area again, although there was a sparse amount that could easily be handled.

'That bastard's got us right where he wants us…' Louis said bitterly.

'Not necessarily,' Bill said. 'He's got to leave there sometime to get to the boat.'

'We could take him then?' Louis asked.

'I doubt it,' Francis said. 'He's still got a powerful gun and the best view of the town. Unless we're right on his doorstep, we wouldn't be able to take him.' Francis then noticed the few lone special infected that were staggering around the streets. They were in plain view of the church but were still alive. 'I got a plan…' Francis said. He looked at Bill. 'Take off your clothes.'

'Time to go,' Robert said. 'Time to go, time to go, time to go!' He knelt down and lifted Zoey over his shoulder. The took Zoey's bag along with his own rifle and moved to the exit. He looked outside and saw Bill kneeling beside a car, attempting to hide. He aimed his rifle at his head and held his breath. Robert fired, causing his head to shatter and the green beret to fly off into the air. In the distance, out of Robert's sight, Francis saw what happened. He nodded at Louis.

Robert stepped off the ladder with Zoey over his shoulder. He headed over in the direction of the marina, a spring in his step.

'I've been working on the railroad, all the livelong day…' he sung to himself. Stepping out of the church grounds, he turned to walk down the street. Louis and Francis emerged from their cover and began shooting at him. Several infected were caught in the crossfire and fell dead. Laying Zoey down, Robert returned fire. Diving next to a car, he reloaded his rifle and waited for them to reload. It was at that moment he noticed the dead infected next to him was looking up at him.

'Lights out,' Bill said, kicking Robert in the face. Knocking him over, Bill stood to check Zoey. Robert got up and swung the rifle at Bill. Bill ducked, the rifle swinging over his head. He swooped his leg under Robert's foot, causing him to loose his balance and fall to the ground. Bill took his own pistol and aimed it at Robert's head. He pushed his foot onto Robert's chest, pinning him to the ground. Louis and Francis arrived, checking Zoey. 'How's she doing?' Louis checked her and looked up at Bill.

'I'm not sure… she's out…'

'What did you do to her you freak?' Francis spat.

'She fought, she fell. It was sad, yes.'

'She might have a concussion,' Bill suggested.

'Zoey!' Louis said. 'Wake up!' Zoey moaned in slight pain. 'We gotta take her to the boat!' Bill grabbed Robert's shirt and lifted him to his feet. He pulled his face close to his own.

'Take us to the marina,' he hissed, staring into Robert's bleak eyes. 'Now.'

'I don't think, no I cannot surely you can't expect me to…' Bill punched Robert in the face, causing him to fall into the car. The locking system beeped twice, the lights flashed. 'You'll kill me?' he asked.

'No…' Zoey muttered wearily. 'Don't… don't kill him.'

'You won't harm me,' Robert said with some surprise. 'Even though I've harmed her?' No one answered. 'Interesting…' Robert punched the front of the car and shook it, causing the alarm to wail. Piercing through the dead night and attracting the horde, Robert grinned and stepped away. The few infected left in Riverside were heading straight for them. 'It's me or them!' Robert yelled merrily. Bill aimed at him but changed his target to the few infected headed their way. Francis and Louis began shooting at the oncoming targets. Robert pushed past the infected with his rifle and turned a corner, escaping into the distance. With the infected around them dead, Bill reloaded his weapon and looked to Zoey.

'We gotta get moving,' he ordered. Louis lifted Zoey around his shoulder and followed the other two. They ran in the direction Robert had left. A few minutes ahead, Robert was sprinting as fast as he could, shooting the infected that were in his way. He reached the suburbs and cut through someone's house, jumping over the back garden fence and running for the woods. As he vaulted over the wooden fence, his foot became stuck and it toppled over. Brushing himself off, he took out the radio.

'This is Robert, I need you as soon as possible!' he yelled. 'Dead… everyone is dead. I am alone, alone again. Alone again!' Not far behind, Bill and Francis were dashing into the suburbs with Louis close behind, carrying Zoey. They stopped in the middle of the suburban streets and looked around desperately.

'Where did he go?' Bill asked.

'How the hell should I know?' Louis spat. 'You guys were ahead of me!'

'Look,' Francis pointed. There seemed to be a trail of corpses that head into a house. He looked at Bill and the two nodded. They ran into the house, followed by Louis and made their way into the garden. They saw the broken fence.

'If infected smashed through it, then it would have fallen on our side…' Louis pointed out. The three of them ran through the opening into the woods. In the distance was a cabin. Robert was inside, loading his weapon and calling for help on the radio.

'We'll be there in five minutes, can you hold out that long?' Robert saw through the window the survivors heading in his direction.

'Hurry!' he said, cocking the rifle. He ran to the upper floor and stood on the balcony that overlooked the forest.

'I think I see someone,' Francis said. Before they could react, a bullet shot past them into a nearby tree trunk. All of them got down and took cover.

'Where is he?' Bill asked.

'In the distance, on the second floor of that house,' Francis said, peeking around his tree. 'Louis, pass me Zoey's hunting rifle.

'No use, son,' Bill shook his head. 'His gun is more accurate. He'll see the glare from the scope and take you out.'

'What do you suggest we do then?' Louis asked. Bill rubbed the back of his head and paused for a moment.

'Did you save my hat like I asked you to?'

'Oh, yeah. Here!' Louis threw Bill his beret, but it was shot as it passed through the air. Bill grabbed it and put it back on his head.

'Alright…' he said angrily. 'This time, it's personal.' He looked to Francis. 'Do we have anymore Molotovs?'

'Yeah, just one…' he passed Bill the bomb. 'What've you got in mind?' Bill ignited the end and gripped the bottle hard. He looked to the others.

'Cover!' he instructed. Francis and Louis began firing blindly in the direction of the cabin. Robert ducked down to avoid any stray bullets that might hit him. Bill, with all his might, tossed the bomb toward the cabin. Robert saw the flame arc in the air before coming down and landing right next to the cabin. It shattered on the ground and flames spread across the dirt. The fire raged underneath Robert's balcony, him and the rest of the cabin was safe.

'Missed, you missed!' he yelled. Louis took aim through the trees at one of the balcony's support beams. He fired. The bullet shot through the fragile wood, causing part of the balcony to collapse into the flames. Robert jumped back into safety before he crashed down into fire, but the damage was now done. The collapsed section was absorbed by the fire, causing it to spread across the entire wooden frame. The second floor would be engulfed in flames in a matter of moments. The fire spread downstairs, causing part of the floor to collapse. Robert was trapped upstairs. He searched desperately for an escape and resorted to diving through the thin wooden walls out to safety. He crashed onto the ground and rolled still. In the distance he saw a boat, his rescue boat. His ticket to freedom. From the shallow depths of the river, a smoker emerged. He heard it hiss and ran for the docks.

The survivors approached the burning house. The entire structure was aflame now. Zoey began to stir and wake up. Louis lay her down on the ground and knelt close to her. Bill and Francis also gathered around her.

'How you doing, kid?' Bill asked, smiling. Zoey gave a weak nod and sat up.

'What… do I smell burning?' she asked. She looked over to the cabin and gasped. 'What happened?'

'Long story,' Louis said. 'We'll tell you when we get on the boat.' At that moment, the boat's horn echoed around. 'It's here!' Louis said excitedly.

'Excellent,' Bill said, 'then we gotta…' A tongue wrapped around his body and started dragging him. Through a gap created by an open back door and a broken front window, the smoker and secured Bill through the flames and began dragging him across the ground. Bill screamed as he came closer to a flaming death. The survivors could not shoot the smoker as they couldn't see it through the flames.

'Bill, no!' Zoey screamed as he was mere meters from the fire. Robert, now on the docks, looked over and saw the smoker.

As Bill got within inches of the inferno, a gunshot echoed through the air and the pull suddenly became limp. Bill was released. He stood up and looked through the fire. The smoker was nowhere to be seen. He did see, however, the boat go straight past the cabin.

'Come on!' he instructed.

Robert was waving at the dock. The boat pulled up and a man with messy blonde hair was there to greet him.

'Kyle Adler,' he introduced himself, holding out a hand. Robert took it and was pulled onto the boat.

'Robert, my friends call me Bob, but we need to leave right now!'

'Sure thing, Bob.' Kyle took out his own portable radio but Robert placed his hand over it.

'You can call me Robert.' Kyle paused for a moment.

'Right… Jaeger,' he said into the radio. 'I've got him. Move out!' The boat started to pull away. It moved past the dock and continued down stream. It had left the survivors.

Robert breathed a sigh of relief… Kyle started to speak but gunfire interrupted him. He turned and saw Bill, Francis, Louis and Zoey running up the docks, firing their weapons into the air.

'Oh God!' Kyle gasped. 'Jaeger, stop. Richard, hold up, I see more survivors!'

'Oh no… oh no, oh no…' Robert backed off.

'Hey!' Kyle yelled. The four dived into the river and swam over to the boat. Kyle threw a life preserver attached to a rope overboard and assisted the four survivors onboard. 'Hey friends, you're just in time.' Bill looked over to Robert, glaring menacingly. 'Well you five sure are lucky sons of bitches. We were heading out away from all this for good…' Everyone was quiet. Zoey was panting, exhausted. She was being supported by Louis. 'Why don't we all come inside?' Kyle suggested. 'Everyone'll be glad to meet you.'

The survivors stood alongside Robert and walked toward the door leading inside. In the distance, a flash of lightning lit up the sky as it began to rain heavily…


	7. Voyage of the Damned

7. Voyage of the Damned

The skies had opened. Torrential rain poured onto the ground, causing floods in lower areas of land. Water washed through Riverside, seemingly attempting to cleanse the area of the infected. The river that ran past the town had started to break its banks. Water had begun seeping over into the surrounding forests. A boat was in the middle of the river, sailing downstream through the treacherous weather. The rain was so intense; the wake of the boat could hardly be seen in the water.

Inside the boat, the survivors were being led down some stairs by a tall man with messy blonde hair. Kyle Adler was attempting to make light conversation but it fell on deaf ears. The four survivors were walking with Robert Sylvester; the man who had attempted to kill each one of them. Kyle opened a water tight door and the survivors followed him into a large, brightly lit room. There were four people inside who each turned to look at the newcomers.

'Guys,' Kyle smiled. 'This is Bill, Zoey, Louis, Francis and Robert.' A thin woman with frazzled grey hair stepped forward and extended her hand.

'What a pleasure it is to meet you!' she said enthusiastically in a strong French accent. She shook all of their hands except for Robert, who refused to take hers. 'My name is Paulette Delaroque.' Paulette gestured to a man with glasses that was sat at a table with a large map sprawled over it. 'This is Zachary Harris. Over here is Annika Abingdon.' Annika stood up from behind a set of computer monitors and waved at them.

'Nice to meet you,' she said softly.

'And over here,' Paulette continued, gesturing to a man who had his head hung. 'This is Simon.' Simon looked up and smiled bleakly. He then hung his head once again. 'Simon's not been doing well lately. He lost his family… you understand.' Robert nodded understandingly. Zoey noticed and scoffed at him. 'Kyle,' Paulette said as the blonde man started to retreat. 'How is Henry doing?' Kyle shrugged.

'I dunno; I'll go ask Jaeger now.' Kyle left, pulling the door half shut behind him.

'Jaeger is our… how do you say? Pilot and captain,' Paulette explained. 'Well… have a seat!' The survivors looked around. There were not any seats around the room. It was quite apparent that the area they were in used to be the cargo area. Zoey went to a corner and sat on the floor, resting her head against the wall. Louis joined her. She was massaging her temples gently. Robert stepped away from the other four and stared at the walls.

'Oh I beg your pardon!' Paulette said apologetically. 'Zachary, why don't you get some more chairs?'

'Can't we look around the rest of the boat?' Francis asked. Paulette shook her head.

'I'm afraid there's not a whole lot to see,' she explained. 'Also, Henry is not doing well at the moment so its best not to make a lot of noise to disturb him.' The sound of the rain hitting the boat from the outside grew to a gentle roar.

'What's the matter with him?' Bill asked. 'Henry?'

'Oh well he's just a bit under the weather,' Paulette smiled reassuringly. Zachary scoffed as he stepped outside the cargo room. Bill looked toward him suspiciously.

'What's going on here?' Francis asked, looking at the map Zachary was working on. Various writings were on it including arrows, circled areas and highlighted sections.

'Zachary, Annika and I are researchers,' Paulette explained, looking up from her own work. 'We've been attempting to track the infection and categorise the various types and severity of the infected.'

'How are you doing that?' Zoey asked, sounding tired.

'We've attempted to find the origin of the infection as well as studying samples of the infected. That way we can see about creating a vaccine or cure.'

'Those poor souls are far beyond salvation,' Robert said with genuine sorrow. Annika looked up and smiled sympathetically at him. Zoey looked at him venomously.

'We think by examining the DNA of the infected and those who are immune, like you all seem to be, we can find a cure to this problem. That's what we were doing before we were forced to go on the run…'

'Where were you before?' Louis asked.

'Toronto,' Annika said.

'Canada!' Francis repeated, bemused. 'This thing has spread that far?'

'Before worldwide communication was lost,' Annika said, 'it seemed that other countries were experiencing similar problems. People suddenly becoming violent, attacking without mercy… developing physical abnormalities…'

'So nowhere is safe?' Zoey asked. Simon curled up slightly as Zoey spoke.

'On the contrary,' Paulette stepped in, 'places like Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand and Japan have closed off their borders and airports, anticipating a virus or disease was causing this. So there's still civilization out there. We just have to fight to get to it.'

Zachary stepped through the door, bringing in two chairs. He set them down, left and brought in another two. He brought in one more chair and returned to his map table. He eyed Francis who was looking at his comments.

'It there a problem?' Zachary asked.

'What?' Francis wondered, bemused. 'Oh. No…'

'Good, then please don't invade my work area,' Zachary snapped. Francis recoiled in surprise.

'Excuse him, Francis,' Annika apologised on Zachary's behalf. 'Zach likes… his space.'

'It's Zachary,' Zachary corrected. Robert looked to him fondly.

'I'm gonna lie down,' Zoey told Louis.

'What's wrong?' Louis asked.

'I still don't feel too hot… no thanks to him.' Zoey used her bag as a pillow and started napping. Louis still sat next to her. Annika noticed Zoey's attitude.

'I can't help but feel that there's something…' Annika paused and thought for a moment. 'Something going on between you two.' She gestured to Robert and Zoey.

'Oh… it's nothing. Nothing at all. Not a peep,' Robert lied, unconvincingly.

'He kidnapped me,' Zoey informed her.

'And tried to kill the rest of us,' Louis continued.

'Not… I… I did not…' Robert stammered. Everyone in the room looked around, unsure of what to say. Kyle stepped into the room and sensed the tension.

'Paul,' he said to Paulette. She looked over and he motioned her to follow him. Paulette jumped out her seat and left the room as quick as she could.

A tense moment of silence passed before Zachary decided to break it.

'Is it true then?' he asked. Robert turned and looked at him dismissively. 'Four against one… hardly seems like they'd all be lying to us.'

'Oh hush, Zachary!' Annika scolded. 'Let's not make this journey any more unpleasant than it already is.' There was another uncomfortable silence.

'Why did you do it?' Zachary asked. 'I mean, what was your grand plan?'

'Zach,' Annika said warningly.

'Were you planning on saving her yourself, leaving the others to die and then just… lie down and fuck?'

'Zach!' Annika stood up, knocking her chair back. 'I hardly see how this is productive!'

'It's not, but it's fun!' Zachary grinned. Robert approached his desk and leant over, close to his face. He gave him an angry stare.

'My reasons,' he said, 'are my own.' Before Zachary could reply, Paulette could be heard outside, sobbing.

'What's going on?' Louis asked.

'Paulette's son, Henry,' Annika said with great hesitation. 'We think he's been infected.' There was a general hush around the survivors. 'He was infected and… we've been trying to find a cure for two days now but…' Annika shook her head. 'It's so sad… people loosing their families.'

'It's a God damn security risk,' Zachary said. 'I feel for her, I really do, but we need to do the humane thing and…'

'And what? Execute him?' Paulette re-entered the room with Kyle. Her eyes were still brim with tears. Zachary seemed to be at a loss for words.

'I was just saying,' he said carefully, 'that maybe it would be better if…'

'Let me get one damn thing straight,' Paulette snapped, getting close to his face. 'No one is touching Henry. Understand?' Zachary nodded, intimidated. Paulette stepped away from him and run her hands through her hair.

'I apologise,' she said. 'But I…'

'It's okay,' Louis said. 'We understand.' Paulette wiped some more tears from her eyes.

'Damn it…' Paulette cleared her throat. 'God damn it… I'm sorry but what's the point of everything we're doing if we can't use it to help the ones we love?'

'We're going to help countless people in the long run,' Annika said. 'Just try and think of that.'

'What is it exactly you've been trying to do?' Francis asked. 'When everything went to shit, I didn't think of studying those freaks. I just tried to survive.'

'That's what we've been doing,' Annika said. 'But on a larger scale. How can we expect the human race to survive this if we don't study it?' Francis nodded in understanding.

'You've been very brave,' Bill said, causing Paulette to smile slightly.

'Can we see what you've got so far?' Zoey asked, sitting up unable to sleep.

'I doubt you'd be able to wrap your head around it,' Zachary said patronisingly. Zoey gave him a sarcastic glare.

'We've seen a lot, you know,' she hissed.

'I bet,' Zachary murmured, completely uninterested.

'Have you seen a tank takedown a helicopter and destroy an entire hospital? Or a whole room filled with crying witches that we had to get through?'

'Witches? What are you, five?' Zachary said.

'That's the name we've given them,' said Bill. 'We've seen quite a few.'

'What are these "witches" like?' Annika asked.

'Miserable,' said Bill. 'They sit and cry.'

'They get pissy when you disturb them,' Francis said, remembering his encounter with the witch in the power station offices. Annika typed on a computer and turned the monitor around.

'Is this a witch?' she asked. The image was of a woman sat on the floor with long claws and seemingly glowing red eyes.

'Yeah…' said Francis. 'How'd you get that?'

'While we were categorising the different type of infected,' Paulette explained, 'one of our colleagues took a picture of this one. Like you said, she wasn't pleased.' There was another silence. 'These, witches, are very dangerous, yes. But their male counterpart is far more lethal.'

'I don't think we've seen one of them?' Bill said, intrigued.

'Show us a picture,' Francis asked.

'We don't have one,' Zachary said bluntly. 'We've not got an accurate description of it.'

'Why?' Louis asked.

'Because,' Zachary said matter-of-factly, 'the thing is so God damn quick and aggressive we can't get near it without being torn apart.'

'It's that bad?' Zoey asked.

'Oh yes,' Annika said. 'Yes, while a "witch" stays alone, the "infector" as we call it, is fast, mobile and can tear you apart in a matter of moments.'

'Or just infect you,' said Zachary.

'How can they do that?' Francis asked. 'We've been in contact with the other infected and we've not caught anything.

'The long claws in a witch or infector,' said Paulette, 'act like a kind of syringe filled with a mutated version of the virus that causes the infection. When they sink their claws into you, an altered form of the disease will enter your bloodstream. Even if you're immune to the common virus, you're probably not going to survive this.'

'Makes me glad that witch never sunk her claws into me…' Francis muttered.

A sickening bang came from outside, silencing all conversation.

'What the hell was that?' Simon, the loner, asked after suddenly jumping away from the wall.

'I don't know…' Paulette said quietly.

'It's probably just a branch or something falling,' Zachary said dismissively.

'No,' Louis said, stepping into the centre of the room. 'No, something definitely hit that wall…' There was another loud bang from the outside.

'Something's defiantly out there…' Simon said nervously. The door burst open, causing Simon to jump with fright. Kyle entered along with another man, Richard Jaeger.

'What's that sound?' Jaeger asked.

'Please tell me that was you,' Kyle asked Paulette. He was answered by a loud bang on the hull outside.

'Weapons!' Bill instructed. The four survivors took their weapons and readied them. Robert took his own rifle and cocked it. 'Not you,' Bill said.

'I can help!' Robert insisted.

'No you can't.' Francis pushed him away and went for the door. Jaeger blocked his way.

'If you think you're setting foot outside your nuts,' he said. 'I'm not going to risk you letting something inside here.' The bang resonated through the boat once again. It moved up from the wall slightly, heading toward the ceiling. Once again, something outside knocked on the ship, this time twice. Bang, bang. It was on the ceiling now.

Bang, bang.

'Where's it going?' Annika asked. The trail of the banging went across the roof.

'It's heading across to the access door…' Kyle whispered. The banging stopped.

From above there was a loud crash. Something had burst into the inside of the boat. In a flash, the cargo room door blasted open and a creature jumped inside. Francis fired his shotgun blindly and was knocked over, shooting the lights above. The room was suddenly smothered in darkness. There was a panic, some people screamed and some people fired their weapons. In the general pandemonium, the creature was beaten back through the door. Bill followed it, but it jumped back up the stairs to the outside. He took one blind shot and blasted it into the river with his shotgun.

Stepping back into the cargo room, Bill took a deep sigh and placed his shotgun down.

'It's dead,' he informed them. Paulette's eyes suddenly widened.

'Oh God,' she gasped, running out of the room. 'Henry!' Kyle followed her as Paulette ran through the tiny boat and opened a cabin where her son was resting. As the door opened, she screamed loudly.

'Where is he?' Kyle asked. Paulette pushed past him and ran back into the cargo room. She punched Bill in the face and knocked him to the ground.

'You son of a bitch!' she yelled. 'You fucking son of a bitch!' Louis and Francis pulled her off him and Bill managed to stand up. 'You killed my son!' Paulette tried to reach him again, but Francis and Louis kept her restrained. Annika stood next to Simon and put a comforting arm around him while Zachary stood by Robert, neither of them said anything. Zoey was leaning against a wall, holding her head.

'It was Henry…' Kyle said to Jaeger. Jaeger looked to Kyle and Zachary.

'Put all the weapons outside,' he ordered. 'Now.' The two took the weapons that lay on the floor and placed them outside. Zachary took the rifle from Robert's hands with great force, while Kyle met some resistance from Bill.

'You're not taking my gun, son,' he growled. Kyle pushed Bill away and took the weapon. Pretty soon, all the survivors were disarmed. All weapons and bags were placed out in the corridor.

'Why did you do that?' Zoey asked sheepishly.

'I'm the captain of this boat,' Jaeger said, 'and I can't risk any of you turning and going crazy.'

'Excuse me?' Bill asked, flabbergasted. 'What the hell is that supposed to mean?'

'I'm not risking one of you turning, taking a weapon and going postal.'

'But we're immune,' Zoey said. 'We've… we're immune.' Robert looked to her, concerned.

'We have no idea what that thing was,' Kyle said authoritatively.

'It was my _son_!' Paulette spat.

'He could have infected you… we can't take any chances,' Jaeger said.

'Hang on,' Louis interrupted. 'You were in this room too when it went crazy! You could be infected.'

'It didn't touch us,' Kyle said.

'It didn't scratch us, either,' Francis added, letting go of Paulette and stepping forward. Paulette broke free of Louis' grip and moved away.

'Come on,' Zachary said dismissively. 'All of you have scratches and marks. That's all it takes.'

'We've had these for ages,' Bill told him.

'I'm sorry, we can't risk it,' Jaeger said. 'As captain, I have to quarantine you all. This vessel is far too valuable because of the research we've gathered.'

'Oh _captain_,' Bill scoffed patronisingly. 'This tub is no larger than Francis' IQ.'

'Thanks, Bill.'

'Don't try and pull your fake rank on me,' Bill continued, 'because I've seen more than you could ever imagine.' He stepped close to Jaeger's face. 'We all have.'

'This conversation is pointless,' Paulette said, typing at Annika's computers. She removed a pen drive and put it in her pocket. 'Now we have a backup of all our research.'

'Give it to me,' Kyle told her. Paulette looked at him defensively.

'What's going on?' she asked.

'Just give it to me, Paul,' he said seriously. Paulette shook her head.

'Oh no…' she said. 'No, you're not locking us up with them!'

'All of you might be infected,' Kyle said.

'Bullshit!' Paulette screamed. 'You might be infected! We all might be fucking infected!'

'No,' said Zachary, 'I think only one of us is infected.

'How do you know that?' Annika asked, sounding very nervous. Zachary pointed to the floor. There were spots of blood.

'Someone was scratched by it…' Zachary said to a room full of deathly silence. The rain outside had stopped. There was absolutely no noise whatsoever.

'Whoever,' Jaeger said quietly, 'was scratched by it, please come forward.' Everyone remained still and silent. 'Come forward and we can quarantine you. All this research must be protected.'

'Who is it?' Paulette asked, looking around and pointing to Bill and the others. 'I bet it's one of you!'

'Lady, please,' Francis said. 'Just relax.'

'Relax?' Simon yelled. 'How do you think we can relax when someone in here is ready to turn and rip us to shreds?' Robert looked around nervously.

'I think it's him!' Louis pointed to him. Robert looked back, defensive. 'He hadn't come into any contact with the infected before we met him so he's probably not even immune!'

'Louis…' Zoey said bleakly.

'Yeah, and look at what he did to Zoey!' Louis continued.

'I was trying to help…' Robert gasped. 'Trying… to help…'

'You don't help someone by kidnapping them!' Louis yelled. Simon and Annika looked nervous.

'Louis shut up,' Bill instructed.

'No,' Louis shouted. 'If anyone's going to be thrown off, it should be him!'

'We're not throwing anyone off!' Bill yelled.

'Perhaps we should think twice about that…' Zachary said. Bill looked to him angrily. 'As the captain said; all this stuff could save the human race. I don't think letting one person destroy all that is something we should risk.'

'I-I'm not,' Robert said, stammering greatly. 'I'm not infected.'

'Prove it!' Simon yelled, stupidly.

'He does seem to be showing the symptoms…' Kyle noted.

'Oh yeah,' Bill said dismissively. 'What are those?'

'Lack of concentration, loss of ability to speak,' he said. 'Pretty soon it'll turn into dizziness, haemorrhaging and vomiting. Then he'll…'

'I'm not!' Robert protested. 'I… I…'

'I'm not the biggest fan of this guy,' Bill said, 'but we can't just throw him out to his death.'

'The water's mad out there,' Jaeger butted in. 'It'll be quick…'

'No…' Robert was shaking. Annika stepped forward to comfort him.

'Don't touch it!' Zachary yelled. 'It might pass on to you.'

'He's not an "it" you arrogant bastard!' Zoey stepped forward. 'Robert,' she said to him. He ignored her. 'Bob!' Robert looked at her. 'Did it touch you?' Robert shook his head. 'It's not him,' Zoey concluded, standing up. The others looked to her, nervously. 'He wouldn't lie to me.' They continued looking. 'What?'

'Zoey…' Louis whispered. 'Your nose is bleeding.' A gentle stream of blood was trailing from her nose. Zoey covered it with her arm of her hoodie.

'What was one of the symptoms?' Simon asked. 'Haemorrhaging?'

'Yeah…' Annika said softly. Zoey stepped back.

'Woah,' she said. 'It's not me!'

'She does have a lot of scratches on her,' Zachary noted.

'We all do,' Bill yelled. 'We've been out there fighting rather than cooped up cosily in this bucket!'

'Dizziness was another one,' Kyle noted, taking a step toward her.

'I fell and hit my head less than an hour ago!' Zoey proclaimed. 'My head still feels funny.'

'Doesn't explain the bleeding, though!' Paulette spat.

'Actually it does,' Francis said.

'Show me your degree,' Paulette said arrogantly.

'I agree,' Jaeger said. 'I think it's you.'

'It's not me!' Zoey screamed.

'No,' Robert said to himself. 'Not, not her.'

'Well what do we do now?' Paulette asked.

'We're not doing anything!' Bill yelled.

'We can't just leave her on the ship with the rest of us,' she continued.

'This is a small boat!' Bill proclaimed. 'All you've got here are notes, which you've backed up.'

'Yes,' Paulette said, not really caring about what he said. 'But what happens when she turns and kills me, destroys the copy and the entire boat? Are we going to let the entire human race die just so she can live?'

'She might not even be infected!' Louis said.

'That's a might…' Jaeger said. 'I'm not willing to take the chance.'

'You might be wrong!' Zoey yelled. 'You were wrong about Robert!'

'I _might_ be wrong,' said Jaeger slowly. 'Then again, I might not. And all we've got is your guarantee that he's telling the truth.'

'I think we should throw her out,' Paulette said.

'Enough!' Bill shouted. Everyone went quiet. The rain outside had started to fall once again but not as heavy as before. The gentle patter of water on the side of the boat did not calm anyone down. Bill took a deep breath, hoping everyone else would do the same. They did not. Everyone stood nervously, each looking at Zoey and to Kyle or Jaeger, hoping they would do something.

'This has got out of hand,' Bill said. 'I know that all of your zombie research is important to you so how about we leave? You can stop by the shore and we can just leave?'

'I'm not taking the risk of being overrun,' said Jaeger. 'I'm sorry, but this is how it's going to have to be.'

'I agree,' said Kyle.

'So do I,' Paulette and Zachary said in unison.

'Let's do it!' Simon exclaimed, to the shock of Annika.

'No!' Bill cried. 'This has gone far enough. We're all scared, we all want to live and see the world rebuild itself. But it's never gonna happen if we turn on each other! We need to work together to survive. Killing the infected is one thing but could kill Zoey? Could you actually throw a fellow human being overboard to their death?' The whole cabin was silent. The only noise came from the rain. The silence was broken by Paulette.

'I could,' she said, the words sinking sickeningly into the four survivors' chests.

'Me too,' said Zachary.

'So could I!' claimed Kyle.

'I don't wanna end up like my family…' Simon said in agreement with the others.

'Toss her overboard!' Paulette yelled.

'As captain,' Jaeger said, 'I feel that it is in the best interests of everyone if we… escort you away, Zoey.'

'You mean execute!' she yelled. 'You disgusting son of a bitch!'

'Paulette!' Louis pleaded with her. 'This is exactly what you didn't want to happen to your son!'

'You may call me a hypocrite,' Paulette said, 'but this time… we can't just let it happen.'

'You heartless bitch…' Louis spat. 'Just because he's dead doesn't mean you should kill Zoey!'

'Get out of my face!' Paulette screamed.

'Stop taking out your anger over your lack of being able to do anything for him on us!' Paulette screamed and slapped Louis across the face. She then collapsed to the floor and began crying.

'Get her out!' she screeched.

Jaeger stepped forward.

'Don't make this harder than it already is,' he told her. Zoey refused to go with him. Bill and Francis stood next to her.

'We're not going to let this happen,' Francis told him.

There came a crack from behind. Louis, who was heading over to Zoey, was hit in the back of the head by Zachary. Kyle lunged forward and dived on top if Bill. Jaeger punched Francis and tried to restrain him. Robert moved to the door, to escape. Grabbing his wrists, Jaeger punched his knee into Francis' stomach. He then pushed his head against the wall. Zoey stepped back. Zachary and Jaeger both took a hold of her. She struggled to get free but Simon arrived and hit her in the back of the head with one of Annika's notebooks. Annika was crouched, sobbing.

Zoey fell limp and Zachary grabbed her legs while Jaeger took her arms. They carried her over to the door. As they left, Bill continued to struggle with Kyle. He managed to roll over, having Kyle's back on the floor. He head butted him twice but Kyle kicked him in the groin and pushed him away. He then drove his foot into Bill's face. Bill flew across the room, hardly conscious. He looked up at Kyle.

'You just made it worse,' Kyle said matter-of-factly.

'No, you did,' Robert shot Kyle in the face with Zoey's pistol as he turned around. Kyle's corpse fell to the ground and Robert aimed at Simon. 'You're a bad man,' he said before running out of the cargo room. Above, the rain had made the outer deck slippery, causing Jaeger and Zachary to slide around and the walked. They got close to the railing and lifted Zoey. They were about to push her over when a gunshot was heard behind them. Jaeger and Zachary turned to see Robert, who had fired a shot into the air. He had the gun aimed for Jaeger.

'What are you doing?' Jaeger asked.

'Don't… please don't make me kill again!' Robert pleaded, causing a shocked reaction from the other two. 'I… I don't want to kill you…'

'Let's just put her down…' Zachary said calmly. They placed Zoey gently on the deck and stepped away from her. Robert's foot slipped and he stumbled. Jaeger jumped forward to disarm him. Diving onto Robert, he reached for his weapon. He grabbed the handle and a few shots went into the air. Zachary ducked instinctively.

Inside, Annika had woken Louis and Francis. Simon was pacing wildly.

'We gotta help Zoey!' Francis said groggily. Annika went to get the weapons but was held back by Bill. Next to the door was Paulette. She was on the ground, weeping.

'She's not dangerous,' Annika said. 'Paulette!' Paulette did not respond. 'Paulette!' she yelled. The woman on the ground suddenly raised her head and turned around with red glowing eyes.

'Dear God…' Bill gasped.

Topside, the gun popped out of Robert's hand and started to slide over to Zachary. Robert broke free of Jaeger's grip and rolled over to him. Zachary bent to grab the weapon but was kicked in the face by Robert. Staggering, Zachary grabbed onto the rails. The gun was stopped by Zoey's leg. Jaeger placed his hands around Robert's neck and began choking him. Zachary looked up and down where the boat was headed. There was a fork in the river and they were headed for the centre.

'Captain!' Zachary cried. Jaeger saw the obstacle and gasped.

Below, the witch was growling at the survivors.

'It's gonna go…' Louis said.

'What is that?' Simon cried. The witch screamed at him, running straight at him. It pushed the others out of her way and went straight for Simon. He screamed and managed to get past her and out of the room. He ran forward through the ship and became trapped in the bridge. He slammed the door shut and took a breath of air. The door was decimated and the witch ran in and clawed at him. As the former Paulette punched her claws into Simon's flesh and tore out skin and muscle, dislodging bone and his life, the rain outside could not drown out the screams of absolute agony. The witch clawed at the boat's helm controls, causing it to veer sharply to the left.

Above, Zachary stumbled across the deck while Jaeger tightened his grip around Robert's neck. The other survivors below had grabbed all their weapons and ammunition and proceeded to go to the top when the boat veered the right. It zigzagged as it came closer and closer to the fork in the river. A large splash of water flooded over the deck. As Zachary regained his ground, Zoey's eyes opened. She coughed out some water and saw the gun beside her. She grabbed it and managed to stand. She pointed it at Jaeger.

'Let him go,' she ordered. The boat veered to the left once again, this time far more violently. Zoey was knocked over the railings, firing accidentally as she did so. Robert saw and dived in after her. Zachary slipped around the deck as the boat crashed into the fork on the left side. The cargo room walls tore open and water flooded the vessel. As it made its way down the left side, Robert and Zoey desperately fought the current and were dragged down the right side. Zachary and Jaeger also fell in, joining them.

Jaeger would not be able to go down with his ship as he was being dragged to his death by the current, along with Zoey, Zachary and Robert in the opposite direction than the others. Bill, Francis, Louis and Annika were still stuck on the vessel as it gradually began to sink. Stuck in the corridor, they were unprepared when the cargo room door burst open and water proceeded to smother them.

The survivors were seemingly headed for a watery grave…


	8. Atonement

8. Atonement

Robert pulled his janitorial cart down the dark corridor. It was still light outside but the sun was setting, casting a pleasant orange hue through the gaps in the window blinds. He stopped by the 3rd Grade classroom and noticed the door was slightly ajar. He swung it open and looked around, searching for the person who broke in. He saw a woman sat at the teacher's table, writing on paper. She looked up and smiled at him.

'Hey, Bob,' she smiled.

'H-hello, Miss Baker,' he said, slightly taken back. 'Sorry, so sorry I-I didn't know you were still… I'll come back.'

'Oh no,' she protested, standing up and stretching. 'Oh God, who'd think it'd be so hard to mark third graders?' She chuckled slightly, flicking her head back. Her blonde hair shimmered in the orange glow from outside. Outside the classroom window there was a beautiful view of a sunset. One of the school's apple trees stood tall and proud, with some of the fruit fallen on the short, neat grass.

'Lovely view isn't it?' she smiled.

'Y-yes,' Robert agreed.

'Are you okay?' she asked, stepping away from the desk.

'Yes, Miss Baker.'

'Bob, call me Joanne,' the teacher laughed. She leant against the desk and sighed. Joanne then turned to look at Robert, who was in turn looking at her. Joanne smiled and then stood up, walking to the window. Robert pulled his cart into the room and took some fish food. He moved over to the fish tank started to feed them. The four little animals quickly moved to take their food.

'You know, Bob,' Joanne said softly, walking up to him. 'There is some food right beside the tank.'

'Yes, but this is nicer, much, much nicer,' Robert told her, watching the fish. 'They like it much better than this stuff.'

'The school spends more money on books, I guess,' Joanne joked. She noticed Robert smiling at the fish. 'You really like fish, don't you?'

'Fish are such… nice animals,' Robert whispered. 'If you have a pet fish, they never run away. They never bite you. They are always there…'

'Until they die,' Joanne said abruptly. 'I tell you… the number of times we've had to replace these fish because they keep dying…'

'Death is a part of life,' Robert noted.

'Yes… the final part but I don't think the kids need to start experiencing that in the third grade.'

'Fish die…' said Robert faintly. 'People die.' Joanne looked slightly uncomfortable. 'If people die, who will look after the fish?'

'You really like fish?' Joanne asked again. Robert nodded.

'They always seem so content,' he said. 'Spending your whole life swimming in a circle with no real purpose… it must drive them mad inside, yet they all seem so calm.'

'They're just fish, Robert,' Joanne said, slightly irritated. She walked back to her desk. Robert turned away from the tank and saw a huge wave of water come from over the horizon. He suddenly lost his breath and began to choke. The wave crashed through the windows and crushed him against the fish tank, causing it to shatter. The four fish started to swim away. Robert desperately attempted to fight the current of the water, but it was too strong. Three of the fish had got out of sight, leaving one more left. It appeared to be struggling with the current as much as he was. Robert reached out and grabbed the fish, only it turned into an arm.

Robert managed to surface, pull Zoey up with him. He coughed and spluttered as he attempted to remain afloat. He was sucked under several times. The rain made it almost impossible to see where he was going. He tried pulling Zoey to the riverbank but the current was still far too strong. All he could do was try to remain afloat.

On the sinking boat, Bill was trying to climb the stairs to get out. They were tilting very heavily to the side. Bill grabbed the rail and extended his hand.

'Grab on!' he cried. Louis grabbed his hand and Bill pulled him up. Francis pushed Annika forward and she grabbed a hold of Bill's hand. Louis in turn lifted her to the door. She stepped out onto the deck and helped Francis up as he climbed with the assistance of the others. Bill came out next along with Louis.

'Should we go back for Simon?' she asked over the howl of the wind and rain.

'A bit late to be thinking of that,' Bill muttered. 'Come on, we need to…' The ship lurched violently. It struck a rock and the survivors fell about the deck. Louis and Annika went straight over the rails. Francis grabbed on to a rail stopping him falling. He used his free hand to grab Bill, preventing him to fall. However, a large wave splashed over the two and they both fell down into the river.

Bill surfaced and was dragged down the river. Louis and Annika were ahead of him in the distance. He could not see Francis.

'Francis!' Bill cried. There was no answer. 'Francis!' he yelled again. The boat ran into some rocks and capsized. There was a loud crash of steel and rock. The boat splintered and tore apart, sinking below the surface. Francis suddenly emerged, coughing.

'Did you see that?' he asked excitedly. 'Jesus!' He attempted to swim around but found it difficult.

'Don't fight the current, Francis!' Bill ordered. 'You'll only tire yourself out!'

'What the hell are we gonna do then?' Francis asked.

'Just… ride it out…' Francis coughed out some more water.

*

Robert looked into the distance and saw a collapsed tree. One of the branches was extended over the stream. As he got closer, he took a deep breath and grabbed the branch. There was a loud crack but the branch did not break. He moved Zoey and attempted to go along the branch to the shore. Robert finally made it to land and pulled Zoey away from the river. He lay her flat on the ground and put his head to her chest. Water trickled from his ear as he listened for a heartbeat.

Robert sat up and took a deep breath. He took off Zoey's hoodie and listened again. Wiping his face, he put his hands together over her chest and began pushing down.

'One… two… three…' he said to himself, before moving to her mouth and breathing. He got back up and pushed on her chest once again. 'Come on…' he said. Zoey remained lifeless. 'Y-you can't go!' he cried, breathing into her mouth once again. He continued as there was a crack a few feet away. Zachary had grabbed the branch Robert had, but it had snapped off. He had managed to clutch another branch and made his way over to the shore. He had a gun in his hand. He stepped out and saw Robert performing CPR. He aimed the weapon at him; the sound of it cocking caused Robert to look his way.

'N-no!' Robert cried. 'Not now!'

'I think you deserve this,' Zachary said chillingly. He stepped forward to shoot.

'Stop!' Robert insisted. 'That's the only weapon we've got right now, isn't it?' Zachary thought for a moment. 'If we're g-gonna survive we need to… need to stick together! Three is better than one, much, much better.' Zachary lowered the gun.

'It's gonna be two,' he said.

'No, no!' Robert cried, becoming very upset.

'She's d-' Zachary began.

'Don't say anything!' Robert yelled. He continued to try reviving Zoey. He kept trying for another minute but stopped with tears in his eyes. Zachary just stood there, watching him become more and more upset.

'Damn it,' he said, throwing the gun to the ground and stepping forward. He bent down and looked at Robert. 'I'll push, you breathe,' he ordered. Robert nodded as Zachary began pushing firmly on Zoey's chest. Robert put his mouth around Zoey's and began breathing. He did it again and again. He drew back to take another breath but Zoey suddenly choked up a lungful of water. She coughed and spluttered, ejecting the water from her body. As she was choking, she curled up into a ball, wincing in pain. Robert rested her head but placing it on her hoodie. Zoey wheezed some more but finally got all the water out of her lungs. She opened her eyes and saw Robert kneeling next to her.

'Bob…' she gasped in surprise. She looked over and saw Zachary. Her eyes widened but Robert put his hand on her shoulder.

'It's okay,' he said softly.

*

Bill and Francis, meanwhile, were still being pulled down the stream. There was no way to know how far they had gone or where Louis and Annika were. Things were looking bleak.

'So…' Francis said through a mouthful of water. 'This isn't how I thought it'd end.'

'Shut up, Francis,' Bill said, splashing. 'We've survived a train crash, a building collapsing in a flaming pile of death. I'll be God damned if I'm gonna let some water kill us!'

'Yeah, it would be pretty lame,' Francis said. 'After surviving the zombie apocalypse to just drown.' Bill laughed sarcastically.

'You think this is bad?' he said. 'This is nothing compared to the great zombie attack of '57.'

'What?' Francis asked, bemused.

'Nah,' Bill joked. 'I'm just horse shitting ya. You're quite gullible aren't you?'

'Look at that!' Francis cried. In the distance, Louis and Annika were on the shore.

'How the hell did they…' Bill's question was answered as his foot caught something suddenly. He became stuck in some rocks that had fallen from the cliff side near them. He and Francis waded over the rocks onto the shore, where they were greeted by Louis and Annika.

'You made it!' Louis smiled. Bill and Francis sat down on the ground to catch their breath. 'You didn't see…?' Bill shook his head. 'Oh…' Annika put her and on his shoulder. 'God damn it! Why does everyone I meet die?'

'We're not dead yet,' Francis noted. He looked up to Annika who had Zoey's hunting rifle and bag. Annika noticed that he was looking at her and tried to defend herself.

'I'm not trying to replace her,' she said sincerely.

'We wouldn't have to replace her,' said Bill angrily, 'if you God damn idiots didn't overreact!'

'I'm sorry!' Annika pleaded. 'But there was nothing I could do!'

'You could have told them to shut up,' Francis said.

'I… I guess…' Annika was interrupted.

'Well I'm telling you now,' Francis said angrily. 'Shut up.' Annika stepped backward and turned away. A moment of silence passed. The rain had stopped and the water had calmed down remarkably.

'What do we do now?' Louis asked.

'I dunno,' Bill answered truthfully. He had thought getting on the boat would mean the end of it all. Then again, he had thought the same about the helicopter. 'Where were you guys headed?' he asked Annika.

'Down river to the army camp in Allegheny,' she said.

'Christ!' Louis exclaimed. 'Have we gone that far?'

'We were in touch with the National Guard,' Annika continued, 'who had the support of the army over there. They were gonna pick us up and secure our research.'

'Well that's useless now…' Francis noted. Annika shook her head.

'I still know things about the infection; I can still be useful! If we go there, we can get the hell out of here.'

'You'll forgive me for asking,' Bill stood up, 'but how the hell can we be guaranteed we'd get out?'

'Excuse me?' Annika asked, confused.

'Our first plan to escape was to escape in a helicopter in the city, but the chopper was destroyed right in front of our eyes.'

'Oh my,' Annika gasped.

'Then,' Bill continued, 'we went on the boat with you fine people and… well, I don't think I need to say anymore.'

'But what other plan do you have?' Annika asked.

'When we arrived in Riverside,' Louis said, 'we were planning on going far into the countryside and laying low for a while.'

'Well,' Annika said slowly. 'I guess that's a good plan, but the camp is close or inside Allegheny National Forest. You could drop me off at the camp and then go off your separate ways to wait it out, if you really want to do that.' There was a brief moment of silence.

'Well that'd be stupid,' Francis said. 'I think we should go there and escape.'

'Agreed,' Bill helped Francis up. 'Louis?'

'Okay, I guess so,' Louis responded. Bill smiled at him and turned to Annika.

'Where is this place then?' he asked. Annika looked around.

'Well… when the river forked back there, it would have been to the right…'

'Shit,' Bill groaned.

'Don't worry,' Annika held her hands up. 'We can still get there! It'll just take a little… longer.' She looked up. They were surrounded by tall cliffs. 'If we can get up one of these, it'll be a lot easier to get there.'

'I hate rock climbing,' Francis moaned.

'Well suck it up,' said Bill. 'Because if you fall, I'm not gonna catch you.'

*

Robert walked past the electronics store in Riverside, not even bothering to look through the window. As he walked past and up the street, the door opened and the owner stepped outside.

'Hey, Bobbie!' the man called. Robert grimaced and turned around.

'Hi,' he said flatly. The man grabbed him and pulled him inside the store.

'What's going on baby bro?' the man said, jumping into the back room to turn off the radio.

'Oh, you know…' Robert said, disinterested.

'You're definitely coming to Mom's for Christmas, right?' he was asked.

'Yes!' Robert said, sounding annoyed. 'G-God why do you have to… have to ask me that every time, every time you see me? Every time!'

'Woah, relax. It's just; we know how you can be…'

'How can I be, Jonathan?' Robert spat. 'Please, tell me please! Please, I would like to know what my family think of me.'

'Okay, I've got you on a bad day,' Jonathan said reluctantly. 'I'll let you go.' Robert turned to leave the store but stopped at the door. He looked back.

'Sorry,' he said. 'Sorry I should not have… should not have been rude.'

'Don't worry,' Jonathan said, smiling. 'The past year's been rough on all of us.' Robert nodded in understanding. 'Well I hope I'll see you there. I'm bringing the stuffing.' Robert opened the door and paused.

'I'll bring the pie,' he said, leaving. Jonathan smiled as he left.

*

Zoey had managed to stand up and put her hoodie back on. Zachary had the gun in his hand and was fiddling with it. Robert was sat on a large rock, lost in thought.

'What are we gonna do now?' she asked.

'We keep heading for Echo,' Zachary said. 'It's not too far down the river.'

'I'm sorry,' Zoey interrupted. 'What's "Echo"?'

'The army evac point,' Zachary said, annoyed. 'They'll take us to the National Guard base and take us to safety.'

'Do it,' Robert blurted out. The two of them looked at him. 'We should do it.'

'I'm so glad I have your approval,' Zachary sneered. He gripped the gun firmly. Zoey eyed him up uneasily. 'I've got the gun,' Zachary noticed Zoey looking. 'I'll shoot you dead if you start to turn!'

'Oh come on,' Zoey spat. 'There's probably, what? Seven bullets left?'

'That's my lucky number,' Zachary said annoyingly. He looked around and sighed. 'Let's get going then. We've got a long trip.'

'Trust me?' Zoey asked, sarcastically. The three set off down the side of the river.

*

Annika, meanwhile, was climbing up a steep section of the cliff followed by Louis, Bill and Francis who was trailing behind.

'Come on, Francis!' Louis yelled. 'I ain't carrying your ass up here!'

'Neither am I!' Bill growled. Francis remained silent. 'What's wrong? Smoker got your tongue?'

'I just don't like heights!' Francis said, grabbing another rock.

'Don't worry,' Annika said merrily. 'We're here now!' She pulled herself up the cliff top, and helped Louis up. Louis pulled Bill up and then the three looked down to Francis.

'Come on!' Louis said, not sounding too encouraging. 'You're a big boy!'

'Big boys,' Francis cried, 'are not supposed to be up in the air!' He got a little closer to the top and Bill and Louis grabbed his arms, pulling him up. He lay on the ground, panting. 'Please tell me we don't have to do that again.' Annika smiled.

'It's just over there,' she said, 'over a bridge and about a mile. Then we'll be at the camp.'

'Thank God,' Francis said gratefully. 'Let's get the hell out of here.'

They set off through the dense forest. Their shoes crunched the fallen twigs and leaves beneath them. Wind glided through the tree trunks and branches, scattering green, yellow and brown leaves across their path.

'This would be quite pretty,' Annika thought aloud. 'If it wasn't for the circumstances.'

'I'll paint a picture later,' Bill said sarcastically.

'I didn't know you painted!' she said densely. They passed a large tree with some picnic benches nearby. They were covered in blood. Beyond the benches was a large gorge. There were barriers by the edges, but most sections had collapsed. A rope bridge extended over large gap. Louis looked over the edge but could not see the ground below due to a distant fog that was forming. Annika stepped onto the rope bridge. Louis gave her a frightful look. Francis grabbed the back of his collar and pushed him forward a little but pulled him back.

'Who's afraid of heights now?' he asked, still slightly annoyed.

'We hardly have a lot of time,' Annika said. 'Let's go, come on!' Bill stepped onto the bridge closely followed by Louis and Francis. They slowly made their way over the gorge…

*

Below the bridge and further forward; Zoey, Robert and Zachary were walking along the side of the river. In cold silence, the three occupied their thoughts with the past. Robert was thinking about Joanne Baker. He remembered the last time he spoke to her.

The daylight outside shone magnificently through the windows. Robert was in the cafeteria, cleaning the floor. It was just after lunch. The children were inside their classrooms and the teachers were happily doing their jobs, unaware of what was about to happen. Robert's floor polisher drowned out the noises of someone breaking through the school's main gates. He did not hear the receptionist scream in the distance as someone jumped onto her, tearing at her flesh. More people flooded through into the school building, storming into the classrooms and initiating a massacre.

When he finally noticed something was wrong, Robert turned to see a horde of people running into the cafeteria. The newly polished floor caused them all to slip and collapse to the ground. Robert, panicked, turned and ran. He ran as fast as he could down the nearest corridor and came to a stop at a junction. Down one corridor, more people were running toward him. He darted down a different corridor but it lead to a dead end. He turned and saw the horde running straight for him. As he braced himself for the worst, a door to his left opened. Joanne was stood in the doorway.

'Bob,' she cried. 'Come on!' Robert dashed into the teachers lounge and Joanne locked the door. The infected began banging on the door. The glass had already started to crack. 'What do we do?' she asked him.

'I… I dunno…' Robert gasped. 'No, no, no… I don't know… no, no, no!' Joanne grabbed him.

'Bob!' she yelled. Robert looked out the window. There were people from the outside running around, seemingly void of all intelligence and humanity. They ran past the window. 'I think we can make a break for it…' she gasped. The glass on the door broke and someone dived through. 'Come on!' Joanne picked up a chair and pushed it through the glass. She jumped outside, Robert following. The two ran over the grass and onto the street. Riverside was being destroyed. National Guard vehicles drove past and soldiers ran to strategic positions, firing their weapons. Joanne ran to one of them, who took her to one side, sitting her inside one of the vehicles. Robert stood there, unsure of what to do.

A loud roar resonated over the gunfire. A heavily muscled beast tore through some buildings and punched the congregation of armed forces. Bodies went everywhere and the vehicle Joanne had got in went flying in the direction of the church. A soldier with a sniper rifle stood near the beast and fired at it. The tank punched down on the soldier, crushing him. The rifle flew into the air, landing beside Robert. He picked it up and ran for Joanne, who was crawling out of the vehicle's back window. She moaned in pain.

'Damn,' she spat. 'My leg's stuck! Help me!' Robert turned and saw the tank running straight for them. He stepped back and ran for the church. 'Bob!' Joanne screamed. 'Bob! Bob! Come back! Come back!' The tank ran up to her and roared as it punched its arms down on the vehicle. Joanne screamed in pain. 'Bob you son of a bitch! Help…' The tank punched the vehicle again, hitting the fuel tank. An explosion roared through the air and the tank collapsed. Robert turned and looked at his town mournfully. He ran back to the church.

'Oh my God!' Zachary cried, running into the shallow waters of the river. Robert shook himself from his thoughts and saw Zachary pull out a body that had become stuck in the shallow areas. It was Jaeger. There was a bullet wound to his head. Zachary dropped the corpse back into the shallows, looking over to the other two angrily.

'Okay just relax,' Zoey said.

'You killed him!' he screamed at her.

'You're the one with the gun,' Robert observed.

'But you had it before!' he screamed at Zoey, causing her to step back.

'It was an accident,' she gasped. Zachary lowered the gun slightly. Zoey quickly stepped forward and disarmed him. She tore the gun from his grasp and tossed it to Robert. 'Bob can have it,' she suggested. 'If we can't trust each other then we're never gonna survive!'

'I guess we're not going to last long,' Zachary hissed, turning and storming away. The other two followed him.

'I don't believe this…' Zoey whispered to Robert. 'We're fighting for our lives here with a mental moron.'

'Why did you give me the gun?' he asked. Zoey looked at him and smiled.

'Better safe than sorry,' she said.

High above, in a completely unsafe situation, Bill and the others were slowly making their way over the rickety bridge. Annika made it over to the other side faster than the other three. Bill was only three quarters of the way over.

'Hurry up!' she cried.

'You know, you're really not helping!' Louis yelled at her. Annika set her bag down and gripped Zoey's hunting rifle tight. She looked through the scope through the thick trees ahead of her. It zoomed quite far and she could make out in the distance a sign that probably pointed in the direction of the evacuation zone. The fog became slightly thicker so she was unsure. She lowered the rifle and turned.

'We're close…' she trailed off as she saw something, a dark figure, in the distance. The bridge suddenly began to shake violently. Annika looked through the scope and saw infected running along to get to them. 'Run!' she yelled at the three survivors. One of the infected grabbed Francis' neck, but Annika shot it through the head. She covered the three as they made their way closer and closer to relative safety. Francis took out his pistol and fired blindly behind, however he did not realise that one of the shots grazed one of the securing ropes. More and more infected ran onto the bridge, creating more weight than it could handle. A tongue shot over the survivors and wrapped around Bill. Annika looked desperately for the smoker through the fog and the horde, but could not find it. Bill was dragged past Louis and Francis. Before he was dragged to his death, however, Francis turned and grabbed his arm. The tongue then snapped.

'I'm not letting you die, old man!' Francis yelled, helping him to his feet. Annika reloaded her weapon but dropped the new magazine. She crouched to get it and as she did so, she saw the metal cases that supported the rope bridge. She realised shooting the ropes would cause the bridge on the other side to collapse.

'Come on!' she yelled. Louis reached safety and started shooting with Annika, allowing Bill and Francis to move forward more easily. As they reached solid ground, Annika took her pistol and shot the two rope supports. The bridge tumbled to the ground, infected falling to their death. Some more on the other side stupidly ran off the edge, to the same fate. Annika sighed.

'You alright?'

'Thanks for the help,' Bill said sincerely. He was on the ground, resting. Francis sat and joined him.

'Yeah,' he agreed with Bill. 'We'd all probably be dead if it wasn't for you.'

'Anything I can do to help,' she grinned. 'Come on, let's get going. We turn onto the road up there and we'll be at the evacuation point. She bent to get the bag of ammunition.

'You know what,' Louis said suddenly. 'Out of all the crazy people we've met, you're defiantly the nicest.'

'But still crazy?' Annika joked. Louis smiled and Annika sighed. She put the bag on the ground again and looked to him tenderly. 'I'm sorry about what happened, back on the boat.' Bill and Francis turned to listen, but did not say anything. 'I'm so sorry about what happened to your two friends…' Louis shook his head.

'It wasn't your fault,' he said sincerely.

'And Zoey was really our friend,' Bill said. 'Not the other guy. He was nuttier than that candy bar shit.' Annika let out a nervous laugh.

'Well I just wanted you to know…' she said. 'I regret not doing anything…' Louis stepped close to her, apparently to comfort her.

'I…' Annika was interrupted. The cry of a smoker was heard in the distance. They all turned to look over to the other side of the gorge. All they could see was fog. Through the fog, a tongue shot out to the other survivors. It wrapped around Annika and she screamed, dropping her weapon. 'No!' she cried. She tried to reach out, but her arms were bound. Louis jumped to try and reach her, but it was too late. Annika was dragged over the edge of the cliff and fell straight to the bottom. Bill grabbed Zoey's hunting and fired in the direction the tongue had come from. In the distance, a faint pop was heard. He lowered the weapon and everyone was silent... Four had become three…

*

The other three survivors finally made it to the evacuation point.

'This is "Echo"?' Zoey asked, sounding unimpressed. Zachary had taken them to an old farmhouse. The fog had become very thick now but in the distance overgrown crops were just about visible. To the right of the farmhouse was a large, derelict barn. To the left was what appeared to be some sort of shed.

'The transmitter's probably down,' Zachary thought aloud and he ran to the shed. Zoey and Robert followed. Inside was a large gas tank. 'This powers the area…' Zachary explained and turned a valve, activating it. The tank did not make as much noise as Zoey thought, so she believed it was unlikely that any infected would be disturbed by it. They then proceeded inside the farmhouse. In the kitchen was a radio transmitter. Zachary began fiddling with it, attempting to make it work.

'Hello?' he spoke into the microphone. 'Hello, hello? Is anyone there? My name is Zachary Drake, Dr Zachary Drake from the IoS. I am here at Echo with others, requesting immediate evac, over.' There was a pause. There was no response.

Zoey walked though the farmhouse as Zachary tried to summon rescue. He repeated his speech several times. Zoey walked through several rooms and then upstairs where she noticed that there were many children's rooms. Inside one room, she saw a crib. Robert appeared beside her, startling her slightly.

'Sorry, so, so sorry!' he said, stepping away. Zoey laughed lightly.

'Don't worry, its fine,' she patted him on the back. Robert smiled weakly. 'I never did thank you before,' she said. 'For saving me, I mean. I appreciate it.' Robert gave her another smile, a bit more cheerful than the previous one. 'I'm not sure what happened to the others on the boat…' Zoey said softly, 'but I'm pretty sure that we'd never have even been on it if it wasn't for you.'

'I'm sorry,' Robert blurted out quickly. 'Sorry, so, so sorry!' Zoey placed her hands on his shoulder and gave him a gentle shake.

'No, you're missing my point,' she said. Robert looked at her, slightly confused. 'Without you,' Zoey explained, 'the others may never have escaped on the boat and we'd never have made it here to an army evacuation.'

'What if they're not on the boat?' Robert asked. Zoey thought for a moment.

'Well they're still a lot better off now than they were when we were in Fairfield,' she said. A loud cackle was emitted from the radio and the two ran downstairs.

'This is lieutenant Stewart Hackett,' a man said through the radio. 'Please repeat.' Zachary let out a laugh of pure excitement.

'I'm Dr Zachary Drake from the Institute of Science,' he said. 'I am here with other survivors at Echo, requesting immediate evacuation, over.'

'Roger that, Mr Drake,' Hackett said. 'We're dispatching a team to pick you up right away. Confirm how many survivors there are, including you.'

'Three,' Zachary said. 'And it's Dr Drake.'

'Confirmed, ETA approximately twenty minutes. Hackett out.' The survivors laughed excitedly. Zoey and Robert embraced each other while Zachary jumped merrily.

'We can finally leave this nightmare,' he said.

The kitchen wall was suddenly torn off and a tank charged at them. Zoey screamed and dived out of its way. The beast punched Robert, sending him flying through the thin walls. Zachary yelled and ran out the door. Its interest attracted, the tank broke through more foundations and chased Zachary into the barn. Zoey ran to Robert and helped him to his feet.

'There's no way we can kill that thing with a handgun with half a magazine!' Zoey cried. Robert thought desperately of a plan to kill the beast, but nothing came to mind. In the barn, Zachary climbed a ladder to the upper levels but the tank was too quick for him. As he broke into a run again, the beast punched him off the top floor and into the side of the farmhouse. He bounced back and fell to the ground with a sickening thud. Zoey ran to help him but was held back by Robert. The tank jumped from the barn and landed next to Zachary. Zachary rolled onto his back just in time to see the tank's fist punch down straight onto his face, shattering his skull and killing him instantly. Zoey and Robert ran around the corner of the house but the tank saw them and began a new chase. Robert looked around and saw the shed. He had a plan.

'Sorry,' he said as he pushed Zoey through the hole that the tank had made in the kitchen. The tank turned the corner and Robert fired a few rounds at it. The beast ran for him, passing Zoey completely. She got up and ran out, following the tank's path. From a distance, she could see into the shed and saw Robert shooting at the tank from inside.

'No…' she gasped.

The tank got within a few feet of Robert and raised its fists to crush him. Before it could do that, Robert put the muzzle of the gun to the gas tanks and closed his eyes.

'Better safe than sorry…' he thought of what Zoey said to him when she gave him the gun. He pulled the trigger.

The shed erupted in flames, decimating the structure and sending the tank flying, the flaming corpse crashing into the crops, starting an uncontrollable fire. In the distance, the horde could be heard burning alive. Zoey screamed at the burning wreckage, overcome with grief. She stepped back into the farmhouse and collapsed by the radio, weeping.

In the distance, Bill and the others saw the flames and ran toward it. They saw the farmhouse and all of the destruction around it. Bill dropped his shotgun and the hunting rifle, which he could not bring himself to leave behind, and stared at the sight in awe.

'What happened here?' he whispered.

'Zoey!' Louis yelled. Bill and Francis turned to see Louis running toward the hole in the farmhouse toward the figure on the ground. Zoey slowly looked up and saw Louis. She stood up and ran to him and jumped at him. Louis caught her and the two embraced tightly. 'I thought you were dead!' he cried. Zoey was still weeping.

'Rescue is coming,' she said, gasping between each word.

'What's the matter?' Louis asked, wiping her tears.

'Bob…' she put her head in Louis' shoulder. Bill and Francis joined the two.

'Other people from the boat survived?' Francis asked. Zoey shook her head.

'Where's Robert?' Louis asked. Zoey tore herself from his grip and took a deep breath.

'Bob's dead.'


	9. Four become One

9. Four become One

'ETA 10 minutes,' Hackett said over the radio. Zoey stepped away from Louis and calmed herself down. She took a deep breath and gave herself a shake.

'What happened?' Bill asked, looking out at the flaming crops.

'We were attacked by a tank,' Zoey explained, starting to pace around. She ran her hands over her face and through her hair, resting them on the back of her neck. 'We only had a pistol with barley any ammo… It killed Zachary.' Zoey nodded over to Zachary's corpse. Louis winced and looked away. 'Robert lured it to that building over there and shot the propane tank that was in there and… well…'

'I guess he wasn't that bad,' Francis said solemnly.

'I still won't be giving any eulogies,' Bill muttered.

'He saved me life,' Zoey told him, looking to Bill with an annoyed expression. 'Because of him we've got rescue on the way.'

The crop fire was starting to burn itself out. One of the infected staggered through the wall of flames and collapsed to the ground.

'What's over there?' Bill asked.

'I've no idea,' Zoey said. 'We came from that direction.' Bill handed Zoey the hunting rifle he had kept after Annika died. 'You kept this?' Zoey asked, clearly moved.

'I fear you may need to use it,' Bill said, readying his weapon. The fire was dead but the grounds were hardly quiet. Footsteps were heard in the distance. The loud roar of the horde echoed all around the farmhouse. In the distance, they emerged from the fog. More infected than they had ever seen before were charging straight for them.

'Dear God…' Bill gasped.

'We have to run!' Louis cried.

'No!' Zoey screamed. 'This is the only chance we're going to get to escape!'

Zoey retreated into the farmhouse. Through one of the holes the tank had made she saw more infected running at them from another direction.

'Upstairs!' she ordered. The three other survivors followed her up the stairs as the infected flooded into the house. Bill crouched at the top of the stairs and began blasting everything that tried to come at them. Francis stood with him, helping destroy all threats. Louis and Zoey were at the back. Zoey saw a window in one of the bedrooms burst forth with infected. She stepped forward down the corridor and began shooting at them. Louis moved to assist her but turned and saw the blocked windows in the nursery shatter, infected running toward them. He fired desperately to keep them at bay.

Zoey's magazine ran out.

'I need some ammo!' she cried. Francis, who was reloading, tossed Zoey her bag. She turned to grab it and kicked her leg out at some infected that came close. She beat them away with her rifle and bag. She took out a magazine and loaded it. Bill's shotgun clicked empty.

'Reloading!' he announced. Francis took over keeping them at bay as Bill loaded each round into the shotgun. A boomer pushed its way through the window Louis was covering. It exploded as a bullet penetrated its skin, sending debris everywhere. The door blew apart, a piece of wood hitting Louis in the head. He stumbled, shooting close to Bill and Francis. Louis fell to the ground. Francis looked around the corner and covered him as he got to his feet.

'Reloading,' Zoey said, crouching. Louis fired over her head, dispatching the infected. At the bottom of the stairs, a smoker emerged and launched its tongue at Bill. Zoey looked over and saw Bill get dragged down to the ground floor. She threw herself over the railing and landed on top of him, shooting the smoker in the face. She launched forward, smacking the infected away with her rifle as Bill got to his feet. He joined her in shooting the infected on the ground floor while slowly making their way up the stairs.

A hunter jumped through a window and grabbed Francis' back. Louis booted it off him, causing it to crash through the railings. It landed on the stairs, causing the wood to splinter and crash down. Bill and Zoey fell through into the cellar along with the hunter. Landing on the hard concrete floor, Bill cried out in pain. The hunter crawled around on the floor and jumped toward him. Zoey shot it through the head as it was flying through the air and crashed on the ground. From the top of the steps, infected started running down toward them as well as jumping through the hole from the stairs. There were portable propane tanks in the cellar, one if which Bill kicked forward and Zoey shot, causing it to explode as infected ran over it.

Francis and Louis stood back to back, hardly keeping the infected at bay.

'Zoey!' Louis yelled. 'Bill! Where you at?'

'We have to move!' Francis cried. The door to his left, which was closed, was being pounded on from the other side. A segment broke off and through the hole an incomprehensible number of infected were trying to get at them. Francis stepped forward and Louis stepped backward, slowly making their way into the nursery. As they got to the window, Francis jumped out and slid down the slanted roof. He landed on the ground and was instantly smothered by the infected. He held his hand out, crying for help. Louis from above, grabbed his hand and pulled him up using all of his might. Francis got to safety and shot the infected below.

'Thanks, man,' he said between two shots.

'Over there!' Bill yelled, nodding to a small window. He and Zoey ran to it.

'It's too small for you!' she noted. More infected jumped down the hole, being shot away by the two.

'You get out there and come around to help me out!' Bill ordered. Zoey nodded and was lifted up by Bill through the tiny window. He eased her through and then turned around, continue shooting at them. Zoey got to her feet and wacked the infected away with her rifle as she made her way around the farmhouse. She turned the corner and gasped. A tank was running toward the farmhouse. She looked at it through the scope and fired a few rounds into the head. Unaffected, the tank turned its attention to Zoey and ran for her. Zoey lured it away from the farmhouse, running for the nearby water tower.

Francis and Louis saw the tank run by and exchanged nervous glances. They both jumped off the roof and beat the infected away. Bill was close to being overwhelmed by the infected as he was running low on ammunition and could not reload the shotgun fast enough to handle the infected. He kicked forward another propane tank and shot it, causing the infected to explode apart. He got to his feet and reloaded.

'Come on Zoey…' he muttered.

Zoey ran underneath the water tower and emptied a few rounds into the base of the tank. Water began to trickle out of three holes that grew in size. The base gave way and gallons of water fell to the ground. The tank slipped on the ground and crashed into one of the supports. The water tower buckled and collapsed to one side. Louis looked over and saw the tower fall and crash to the ground.

'Shit!' he exclaimed. Zoey ran back toward the farmhouse but the tank followed her. It lifted a metal segment and threw it at her. Zoey ducked out of the projectile's way. It flew into the farmhouse, tearing through the wood and crashing into the cellar. The metal segment crashed next to Bill, creating an escape. He climbed up the metal and emerged outside. He looked over and saw Zoey running toward him, yelling for help. She emerged from some trees and the tank tore through them, pushing them aside, snapping them at their trunks. Louis and Francis joined Bill and they began shooting at the tank. Bill got a sudden idea and jumped back down where he was. He emerged and threw a propane tank in Zoey's path. She jumped over it and turned, taking aim and shooting it. The tank exploded, jarring the tank somewhat. All four survivors concentrated their fire on the beast. It staggered as it ran and Bill did a dive roll toward it. With the tank's attention occupied by the others, Bill kicked it with all his might and it fell through the hole in the farmhouse. He looked down at the remaining propane tanks and fired. Bill then jumped back as there was a massive explosion and the farmhouse collapsed on itself. When the wood came to rest, the air was once again quiet.

Bill was breathing heavily on the ground.

'What do you say to that?' Louis joked.

'Reloading,' Bill said, loading his shotgun. Zoey ran and helped him to his feet. In the distance, the sound of an engine could be heard. Through the fog, a large APC with a mounted machine gun rode toward them.

'Hey!' Louis cried. 'We're over here!'

The APC drove past them and stopped near the farmhouse. The back door opened, allowing the survivors to enter. As they made for it, the bloodthirsty roar of the infected could be heard once again. Zoey stepped inside and was safe. A smoker's tongue wrapped around Bill's torso and dragged him away. Zoey shot the smoker and Bill rolled to the ground. Francis turned to help as Louis ran into the vehicle, but could not do anything as he had to dive out of the way of flying debris. The tank emerged from the farmhouse rubble, angrier than before. It saw Bill and ran for him. Bill jumped past the punch and ran for the APC. Infected came close on each side, forming a sort of tunnel between him and the vehicle. The APC suddenly moved forward.

'Wait!' Zoey screamed. The door was still open and Bill was getting closer, but so was the tank. The monster got so close to Bill, it raised its arms and was about to swing them down, crushing him. Bill turned and looked into the monster's eyes as it swung its fists down with all of its might…

The attack never came close, as Zoey mounted the machine gun and blasted the tank, causing it to loose balance and stagger. Francis leant out and extended his hand. Bill caught it and was pulled inside. Zoey continued firing on the tank as it followed them. A large abscess on its face burst and it suddenly tumbled, falling over dead. The door began to close. It was nearly all the way shut when one stray infected grabbed it, trying to climb through. However, the pressure of the door was too strong and it only managed to get an arm in before it slammed shut, severing the arm.

Zoey returned to the inside of the APC and beamed.

'We all made it!' she cried with joy. 'I can't believe it!'

'Just sit tight, survivors,' the driver said through an intercom. 'We're taking you to the safety zone. You're completely safe now.' They all relaxed. Zoey looked down and saw the severed arm.

'Jesus,' she said. 'That's disgusting. Throw it out, Francis.'

'Why me?' Francis cried. 'You're closer to the door.'

'Oh, whatever,' she said and picked it up. The thumb on the hand was missing and only four fingers were left, seemingly extended out trying to grab them. Zoey chuckled and threw it out of the gunner's hatch.

The arm fell to the ground and landed stationary on the woodland road as the APC drove off in the direction of safety for the four survivors…


	10. Thanks for the Memories

10. Thanks for the Memories

Louis was sat behind his desk, typing feverishly at the computer. He was tired, irritable and overworked. It was past five o'clock and he was the last person left in the office. He took a break and yawned, rubbing his face. He picked up his mug and put it down again, annoyed that there was nothing inside. Louis stood up, with considerable effort, and went to the staff kitchen. He filled his mug with water and drank it all in one go. He filled it up again and opened the fridge, looking for something sweet. A foul smell assaulted his nostrils as he looked inside.

'Damn!' he gagged. He took out a sandwich which looked older than he was and threw it in the bin. It fell out as soon as he threw it in, as the bin was severely overflowing. Some rubbish was knocked off the top and fell with a splat to the ground. Louis groaned in annoyance. A sign above the bin read "Please empty when full". Louis emptied the bin and replaced it with the new bag. He put the rubbish that fell to the ground back in the bin and picked up the other bag and went for the garbage chute. He tried to open the flap, but grimaced when he saw the "out of order" sign.

Descending four flights of stairs and walking through two corridors, because the elevators had been turned off, Louis left the building through the back door and threw the bag into the dumpsters. There was a crash behind him. Louis turned and saw the janitor stepping out, locking the door.

'Hey, hey!' Louis protested. 'Woah! Wait a moment.'

'Say again, son,' the janitor asked.

'I'm not done in there,' Louis explained. The janitor rolled his eyes at him.

'Damn suits,' the janitor muttered under his breath. 'Do this, do that… stop everything for me.'

'Hey, dude,' Louis protested. 'Sorry but I was throwing out some garbage so you wouldn't have to do it.'

'That's my job,' the janitor snapped. 'I'm the janitor. I do the things you people shouldn't.' He opened the door. Louis walked through and heard something very unpleasant muttered under the janitor's breath. The door was slammed shut before he could say anything in response. Louis went up to his office to finish his work. He was in an even more irritated than when he left the terminal a few minutes before. He sat down at the desk and looked at the blank monitor. His eyes widened when he realised that what should have been documents displayed before him was just a blank monitor. His computer had turned itself off.

'Oh that's it!' Louis stormed out of his chair and out of the building. There was only one place he wanted to go…

Stepping into the all night firing range, Louis promptly paid for his session and moved over to the booths. A young woman in leathers with vibrant red hair left as he entered, leaving the entire range for him alone. He took his pistol and began shooting at the targets. Each circular target, he hit it in the centre. After unloading a few magazines into various targets, the owner of the shooting range approached him.

'Bad day, Louis?' she asked. She was a short woman, with strawberry blonde hair.

'How can you tell?' Louis asked in turn.

'You shoot better when you're pissed off.' Louis laughed.

'I guess I do…'

'Wanna tell me about it?' she asked, putting a hand on his shoulder, gently squeezing. Louis sighed and turned to her, putting down his gun.

'It's just…' Louis started to explain before stopping to think. 'For the past few months things have been getting worse and worse. My boss has been putting more and more pressure on me to do things I can't physically do. I was there until five-thirty before I finally had enough.' He placed his hand on the pistol. The owner moved her hand onto Louis' and pulled it away from the gun.

'We don't want you going all postal,' she joked. Louis laughed.

'I don't think I'm gonna do that,' he said. Louis sighed and looked into her eyes. 'Things do need to change though…' She stepped on her toes and kissed him.

'Everything's gonna work out,' she smiled.

*

Louis shook himself free of his reminiscent thoughts as the APC rolled over a rather sizeable bump. Zoey was resting her head against his shoulder, dozing. Bill was sat with his arms folded and his beret tipped over his head, obscuring his eyes. Francis was sat, fidgeting. He was loading his shotgun, removing the ammunition and then reloading it again.

'You alright?' Louis asked him. Francis looked up from his weapon and placed it on the floor. He placed his hands on his knees and started fidgeting further.

'I'm not much of a traveller,' Francis told him. Louis narrowed his eyes.

'What's up, man?' he asked.

'I told you, I just don't like to travel,' Francis repeated. Louis could sense his insincerity. He gave Francis a knowing look. Francis sighed and looked to Louis sincerely. 'Being stuck in such a small space brings back… bad memories.'

'Locked in a closet as a child?' Louis joked. Francis shook his head.

'More like police cars and wagons…' Francis said truthfully. The following expression on Louis face was one of shock.

'You're serious?' he asked. Francis nodded his head.

'Been in one too many bar fights,' he explained.

*

Francis was stood at the bar, a bottle in his hand. As he drank he watched the television hanging in the corner, cheering at the grainy image of football. There were people in one corner, playing a game of pool and in another corner, a set of pinball machines were host to a group of youths who were attempting to get a new high score. A loud group of people were sat in another corner, all chatting away drunkenly. From the group, a young woman with vibrant red hair and dressed in the same leathers as the others stepped up to the bar. She shot a fleeting glance at Francis and smiled, turning to the barman and ordering a drink. As she took her drink, Francis stepped close to her.

'It's on me,' he grinned, sliding the barman some money.

'Thanks,' she said softly, taking a sip. She raised her glass and smiled, thinking of a toast. 'To… football,' she laughed.

'I'll drink to that,' Francis grinned. 'I've got 20 bucks riding on this game.'

'Well good luck,' the young woman said. 'Maybe you can buy me more drinks?' The two laughed together.

'Francis,' Francis introduced himself.

'Amanda,' the young woman held out her hand, Francis taking it and giving it a gentle shake. A heavily muscled man from Amanda's group looked over to them, a jealous expression on his face.

'So what do you do, Francis?' Amanda asked.

'I'm… between jobs,' Francis said carefully. 'You?'

'Air traffic controller,' she said with a slight grimace. 'To tell you the truth I'd rather be between jobs.'

'Why's that?' Francis asked.

'Too stressful, too many hours… too much hassle.' Francis nodded in understanding. 'Oh look,' she said brightly. 'Someone's just scored!'

'Did they?' Francis said, totally disinterested in the football. Amanda noticed his sudden interest in her and began to blush. She smiled coyly and tossed her hair back. The man from her group stood up and walked straight for them. Amanda noticed him and suddenly looked worried.

'Oh no…' she gasped. The muscled man butted into their conversation.

'What are you doing?' he asked aggressively.

'Ethan,' Amanda said, exasperated. 'Don't…'

'Shut up!' Ethan yelled, drawing the attention of the rest of the bar.

'Hey,' Francis interjected, 'that's no way to speak to a lady.'

'I'll speak to her how I want,' the man got right in Francis' face.

'You don't own her,' Francis hissed.

'Francis, don't…' Amanda begged.

'Oh, Francis,' Ethan said mockingly. 'What a pretty name!'

'A lot prettier than you,' Francis muttered. Ethan suddenly threw a fist toward his face. Francis ducked, causing Ethan to miss. Francis jumped back and held his fists up. Ethan moved in for another punch.

'No!' Amanda cried.

Ethan threw a punch at Francis, who blocked it with his wrists. Francis delivered a couple of punches of his own, one hitting Ethan in the stomach and the other on his head. Ethan's group suddenly jumped into action. Two men grabbed Francis' arms, holding him tight. Ethan punched Francis firmly in his stomach. He delivered another set of powerful blows, causing Francis to spit out a mouthful of blood. A splash went on Ethan's clothes. Becoming angrier, Ethan moved to punch him more aggressively. Before he could do anything, Amanda smashed Francis' bottle over his head. Ethan staggered, giving Francis enough time to act. He swooped his foot along Ethan's, causing him to topple over. He then managed to break free from the other two, knocking them away. He jumped over Ethan as he tried to stand and took a new position, near Amanda. Ethan stood with four supporters behind him.

Amanda took her glass and threw it at Ethan. He ducked and it hit the person behind him in the face, causing him to fall over, crying in pain. Ethan made a lunge forward and Francis tackled him, both men wrestling on the ground. The other three stepped toward Amanda. She looked over to the pool table and grabbed a cue from one of the players, using it as a weapon. One man made a lunge for her and she beat him with it, causing it to splinter and snap. The man fell headfirst into the bar and was knocked out. The other two stepped toward her but were intercepted by the youths who were at the pinball machines. One boy jumped onto the back of an attacker, causing him to stagger and struggle. The other began punching the final attacker, Amanda joining him.

On the ground, Francis and Ethan were still rolling around. Ethan got Francis on his back and gripped his neck tight. Francis started to choke. He waved his arms wildly and grabbed the broken pool cue. He smacked it into Ethan's head, knocking him off him. Francis stood up and rubbed his neck. Ethan moved to him but Francis kicked him in the face, knocking him out.

'Damn wussy,' he muttered. He turned and saw Amanda punching someone to the ground with a youth. She high fived her assistant and looked to the other youth, who was still wrestling with the other biker. She grinned and turned to Francis.

'They weren't my friends anyway,' she smiled. In the distance, the sounds of sirens could be heard.

'Damn it,' Francis groaned, 'I hate the cops.' Amanda chuckled.

'Well we'd better get out of here then,' she suggested.

'I guess we can never come here again…' Francis joked, dashing out of the bar with Amanda.

'I prefer to drink at home, anyway,' Amanda smiled cheekily.

'Need some company?' Francis asked. A police car turned the corner. Amanda grabbed his hand and the two ran down the street together.

*

The APC started driving up a steep hill, causing the occupants to slide down their seats. Bill and Zoey were stirred as they fell into Francis and Louis, respectively. When the APC reached the top of the hill, they flattened out and drove along flat ground once more.

'What's going on?' Zoey asked sheepishly.

'We must be getting close by now,' Bill said gruffly. The APC did seem to be slowing down. 'I can't wait to be greeted by the open arms of the military.'

'I can't wait for a hot meal,' said Louis fondly.

'I can't wait for a shower…' Zoey added, rubbing the back of her neck.

The APC went through into the army camp, a barbed wire fence being placed across the entrance when it got through. In each corner of the camp, lookout towers had been constructed with a soldier in each, a sniper rifle in hand. A tower was also in the centre of the camp, keeping watch over the entire area. Inside one tower, a soldier looked down at the APC before turning back to the magazine he was reading. Around the camp, several tents were propped up. Crates and boxes were near each structure, containing various weapons, ammunition and technology. From the centre tower, blue lights flashed around the camp, causing the soldiers that were out on patrol to leave the open area. The APC parked near a tent made of a thick plastic. From inside a group of soldiers emerged, dressed in protective biohazard suits. When the door of the APC opened, the soldiers pulled the survivors out, much to their surprise. They were disarmed instantly and were dragged away from the APC.

'What the hell are you doing?' Bill cried. The four were pulled over to the plastic tent.

'Let go!' Zoey yelled. 'Get your hands off me!' The four were dumped in one area of the tent, surrounded in a plastic material. One of the soldiers stood before them and nodded to his companions.

'Begin the disinfection!' he ordered.

'Now wait just a…' Bill was interrupted. A sudden hissing noise filled the room. A smoky gas began to fill the room. The three began to cough and choke. Francis lunged for one of the soldiers but was knocked away with ease. Zoey took a deep breath and covered her mouth and nose, breathing as little as possible.

'Stop…' Louis choked. 'Please…' Bill had collapsed, wheezing uncontrollably. Francis made one further lunge to the nearest solider, but collapsed to the ground, unconscious. Delirious, Bill rolled onto his back.

'I'm… about to…' he coughed. 'About to… buy the farm…' His vision blurred and he blacked out. Louis extended an arm in the air but it fell limp to the ground. Zoey was still standing, staring at the soldiers.

'Miss,' he said snappily, 'would you please take deep breaths?' Zoey shook her head and ran for the exit. She was grabbed by one soldier who pulled her back. Another man tried to grab her feet but she kicked him in the face, causing the mask to crack. She was thrown to the ground, causing her to gasp. Zoey instantly started choking. On the ground, her lungs feeling as though they were on fire, she crawled toward the exit. She got close before her body suddenly fell limp. All four survivors lay on the ground, lifeless…

*

Zoey was sat at the large dining table, pushing the steak on her plate around with her fork. To her left, at the head of the table her Father was sat, chewing thoroughly. To her right, her Mother was sipping a glass of chardonnay. She placed it gently down on the table and sighed. The Father looked up from his food and saw her over the table, wrapping her fingers around her pearl necklace.

'What's the matter?' he asked her, mouth still full of food. She sighed.

'Nothing really…' she lied. Zoey's Father nodded and looked down at his meal. Zoey's Mother looked over to her put on a fake smile.

'Are you alright, dear?' she asked. 'You've barley touched your food.'

'She has touched it,' her Father interrupted. 'She's just not eating it!' Zoey sighed dejectedly. 'You're not one of those anorexics are you?' Zoey let out a fake laugh.

'Of course she's not anorexic!' her mother protested. 'Look at her!' Zoey gave her an angry glare.

'What is that supposed to mean?' she asked.

'I didn't mean…' her Mother stuttered. 'Damn it, Thomas! Now look what you've done!'

'You're the one who bloody said it!' Thomas, Zoey's Father, spat.

'Don't swear at the table!'

'This is my house; I'll say what I like!' As her parents argued, Zoey stared straight ahead, not listing to them.

'Just because you pay the bills doesn't mean…' Thomas interrupted his wife by placing his fork down. Zoey looked over to him, eager to see what he would say.

'I pay the bills so that you can live in luxury,' he said angrily. 'I work my ass off for both of you and you don't seem to be the least bit grateful!' Zoey sighed and her Father looked to her angrily. 'And you!' he spat. 'Always moody and depressed. You don't know how good you have it!'

'I'm sure I don't,' she replied sarcastically. Her Father's eyes narrowed.

'No, you don't,' he spat. 'Most people your age have to pay for college themselves, but because I'm such a nice Dad, I'm doing it for you.'

'You're yelling at me because you're paying for my education?' Zoey said.

'I'm yelling at you because you're not even grateful! You spend your time sat in your dorm, doing nothing.'

'Oh come now, Thomas,' her Mother insisted. He ignored her.

'If I hadn't paid for the entire year in advance, I'd force you to drop out.'

'What am I studying?' Zoey asked him suddenly. Her Father looked surprised and paused for a moment.

'We're talking about you now,' he dodged the question.

'Of course,' Zoey shook her head, putting her knife and fork on the plate. She stood up and took the plate. 'Thanks for dinner,' she said to her Mother, leaving the room. When she was gone, her Mother looked scathing at Thomas.

'Now look what you've done!' she hissed.

Zoey placed her plate in the kitchen and turned to leave. Something caught her eye on the counter, one of the sharper knives that had just been washed. She looked at it for a moment before sighing and leaving the kitchen. She climbed the stairs, rubbing her wrists and went into her room. She pulled her bag onto her bed and started throwing clothes into it. When she was nearly done there was a knock on her door. Her Mother let herself inside, smiling grimly.

'Are you alright?' she asked.

'Perfect,' Zoey lied. Her Mother sat on the end of her bed.

'You're not leaving for two days,' she noted.

'I know,' Zoey said flatly. 'I'll be in my room until then.'

'Oh, Zoey,' her Mother said, standing up. 'Don't be like this…'

'The last thing I want to hear when I visit home is you two arguing,' Zoey explained. Her Mother took a deep breath. 'It's bad enough having all the stress of my exams without having to be involved in you two attacking each other!'

'Oh, Zoey,' her Mother said again, putting her hand on her shoulder. Zoey knocked it off and stepped away from her. Her Mother shook her hair out of her face and stepped around the room. She went to a bookcase and picked up an old teddy bear. She stroked it and held it tight, looking over to Zoey. 'I remember when we got this for you,' she said fondly.

'I don't,' Zoey replied, flatly. She continued putting clothes in her bag.

'I'm not surprised, you were only four…' Her Mother chuckled. 'We were at the fair in Riverside; you, your Father and I… We were going down the main street and there was one of those water pistol shooting ranges.' Zoey stopped packing and stood still, looking down at her clothes as she listened. 'You insisted on having a go, so your Father lifted you up onto the counter and shot the targets, missing all of them.' Her Mother paused and smiled cheerfully. 'Anyway you wanted to go again and again until we'd spent about $10 on that one stall. The man there smiled to you and said how persistent you were. You tried one more time and you finally managed to hit something. You were so happy you started giggling. The man gave you this teddy as a prize.'

'I always liked that main street…' Zoey said softly. Her Mother placed the bear on the bed and stepped close to her daughter. She put her hand on her shoulder once more, this time Zoey let her.

'What's going on, Zoey?' she asked. 'You've changed so much…'

'That was fifteen years ago,' Zoey muttered. 'I'm bound to change in that time.'

'I mean recently,' she elaborated. 'Since you started college you've become irritable, moody. You've spent your first semester in your dorm watching horror movies for heavens sake, something must be wrong.' Zoey looked away from her bag and into her Mother's eyes.

'I don't really want to do it anymore,' she said sincerely. Her Mother appeared surprised but not angry or upset. 'Everything I'm doing just feels… wrong. I hate the subject, the professors… God most of the other students even piss me off.'

'Most?' her Mother raised an eyebrow. Zoey blushed slightly. Grinning, her Mother stepped over to the window, look out on the street. 'What's his name?'

'Alex,' Zoey said after a momentary pause. 'But he's not the reason I've been acting… funny.'

'Then what is?' her Mother asked, stepping close to her. 'You can trust me.'

'I know,' Zoey looked away. 'But… I just don't want to say. It's hard, you know? With you and Dad fighting all the time…'

'Is it me and your Father?' she asked. 'Are we affecting you?' Zoey shook her head.

'No…' she insisted. 'Well… a little. It's not that great having to put up with you two when I visit.'

'I'm sorry,' she said sincerely. 'I'll talk with him… we'll try and sort it out. I promise.' Zoey smiled.

'Thanks,' she said, embracing her. After a moment, they stepped apart from each other and her Mother went to leave the room. Before she left, she turned back and smiled at her daughter.

'We may not show it as much as we should,' she said, 'but your Father and I… we're both incredibly proud of you.' Zoey smiled. 'Whatever you choose, we'll support you and be proud of you.' She left, leaving Zoey alone. She looked down at her bag and sat down. Zoey picked up the bear her Mother had left on the bed and looked at it fondly. She put it inside her bag.

*

Zoey's eyes opened and she saw a green fabric above her. She sat up; her head hurt slightly but she did not have any difficulty breathing. She looked over and saw Bill, Francis and Louis who were lying on the same camp beds that she was. She got up and sat at the end of her bed, rubbing her eyes. She stood up and moved to the others. Each were alright, apparently sleeping. She then walked through the tent, to the exit. Zoey stepped outside. The fog was gone along with the daylight. High in the night sky, the moon bathed the camp in a gentle glow. She shivered in the cold and looked around. There were a few soldiers patrolling the camp. Since they did not react to her appearance she assumed that she was free to leave the tent. However, she decided to go back inside and wake the others.

'Bill,' she gently nudged. 'Wake up!' Bill moaned and opened his eyes. He suddenly bolted upright and looked around.

'Where are we?' he asked.

'Some infirmary,' she guessed, shaking the others to wake them. 'Are you alright?'

'I suppose so…' Bill massaged his temples. 'I feel like someone set off napalm in my head.'

'That's a bit extreme,' Louis commented. Zoey chuckled and took a seat on the end of a bed. She felt a prick on her arm. She rolled her sleeve up and saw a needle mark.

'Do you guys have this?' she asked. They all did. 'Injections?'

'Or blood samples…' Bill guessed.

'So what do we do now?' Zoey asked. Everyone was silent.

'I say we find out who runs this place,' Francis suggested, 'and make him tell us what the hell those guys did to us.'

'Good idea,' Bill stood, heading for the exit. He stepped out into the open, followed by the others. He took in the surroundings with a deep breath.

'You okay, Bill?' Louis asked.

'Yeah,' Bill muttered. 'Just… so nostalgic…'

*

Flames surrounded the camp. Bill grabbed his weapon and climbed the lookout tower. He began shooting at the attackers through the flames and smoke. A structure behind him exploded, causing the tower to shake. One of the support beams caught fire, weakening the entire structure. The tower collapsed, Bill still inside. Falling over the flames, Bill was pushed over the fire and rolled along the ground. He got up and saw someone running at him with a machete. He rolled on the ground, avoiding the attack. He swooped his leg along the ground, knocking the man over. Bill kicked the machete away but the attacker grabbed his leg and attempted to bite it. Bill kicked him in the face and was let go. He looked over his shoulder and saw three soldiers taking cover behind a rock, shooting at the enemy. Bill ran over, dodging a bullet.

'Corporal!' one of the soldiers screamed at him. 'We're pinned down!'

'I can see that,' Bill replied snappily. 'Any of you got any grenades?'

'Yeah, but they throw them back!' another soldier told him.

'Just give it to me!' Bill ordered. They passed him a grenade and he gripped it tight. He removed the pin and held on to it for a few seconds. He then threw the grenade over the rock and there was a loud bang. The attack had stopped but there was still gunfire coming from the camp.

'Corporal,' one of the soldiers grabbed his attention. 'There's an emergency LZ about a mile east, they were gonna evacuate the camp before Charlie got the drop on us.'

'The camp is fubar,' Bill noted. 'Most of our men have disbanded; we need to get to that LZ. Lead the way, double time!'

The four soldiers marched through the jungle, accompanied by gunfire in the distance. A string of bullets grazed the trees over them.

'Down!' Bill ordered. He began shooting in the direction of the attack. 'Move, move, move!' They ran through the brush, keeping their heads down. Bill peeked over cover and fired some more rounds at the enemy. The other three had run ahead, each shooting in different directions. Bill moved to keep up with them. They each broke into a clearing through the jungle. A small river ran before them.

'Down here!' one of the soldiers ran down the river.

'No, get in cover!' Bill ordered. The soldier was suddenly ambushed. Someone leapt from the jungle with a machete and carved into the soldier's neck. The other two fired angrily at the attacker. From the rear, further attackers approached with assault rifles. Bill attempted to suppress them, killing one in the process. He made it over the clearing with the other two and continued running through the jungle.

'Why the hell is the LZ so far away?' one soldier asked.

'Move along, this isn't over yet,' Bill ordered. 'We're nearly there.'

After a few minutes they made it to another clearing. A helicopter was landing in front of them and they ran for it as fast as they could. Bill got inside the carriage and helped the other two inside.

'We're the last,' he told the pilot. 'Move out!'

'Roger,' the pilot lifted off, flying away from the jungle. The helicopter took them over the danger of the jungle and in the direction of a new camp.

'Corporal,' the soldier called to him over the roar of the rotors. 'What's the new plan?'

'We'll find that out when we get to camp,' Bill told him. The soldier nodded. He looked outside, his face uncomfortably queasy.

'This your first?' Bill asked him. The soldier nodded.

'How about you, Corporal?' he asked.

'This is my second tour,' Bill sighed.

'How could you come back to this?' he asked, shocked.

'It's all I'm good at,' Bill explained vaguely. There was a flash from the ground and a rocket was fired straight at the helicopter. It hit the tail rotors and the vehicle began spinning out of control.

'Hold on to something!' Bill advised. One of the soldiers flew out of the door. The other slipped but Bill grabbed onto his arm, pulling him close. 'I ain't letting you go!' The helicopter crashed into the ground and tore apart.

Bill rolled along the ground, apparently unhurt. He moved over to the other soldier. The cockpit was destroyed, leaving little hope that the pilot survived.

'You alright?' Bill asked, helping the soldier up. He merely grunted in response. 'There's no shame in it, kid, I would have pissed myself too if I nearly flew out but we've got to get moving!' In the distance, attackers were running toward them. 'Cover behind the chopper!' Taking cover beside the shell of the helicopter, the two began shooting at the attackers.

'I'm running low on ammo,' Bill said.

'I'm out of ammo!' the other soldier gasped. Bill tossed him another magazine. He then reloaded his own rifle.

'That's the last I got,' he said. The other soldier nodded.

'What's your name?' Bill asked him.

'Richard,' the soldier said. Bill smiled at him.

'I'm Bill. It's been a pleasure fighting alongside you.'

'Likewise,' Richard grinned. The two jumped out of cover and emptied their magazines into the attackers. Surprisingly, most of them were cut down. A few more were left. One went to shoot Bill but he pulled out his pistol and shot him dead. The other two were taken out by Richard. However one of them threw a grenade at him as he was shot dead. It landed next to him, and he picked it up. Bill saw Richard attempt to throw the grenade but it exploded before it left his hand. Bill was hit by the shrapnel and collapsed in pain. He cried in agony as the left side of the body was coated in blood and metal. His vision blurred as he attempted to move. Bill passed in and out of consciousness. He saw a truck pull up and someone get out. The next thing he knew, he was lying in an American medical station. A young man was above him, tending to his wounds.

'Relax, Corporal,' he said. 'You've got shrapnel stuck in you knee which I can't remove. You're being taken back home on the next available…' Bill sat up, interrupting him.

'No!' he cried. 'Don't send me back!'

'Corporal,' the Doctor insisted. 'You're in no condition to fight; you can't even move. You're being sent home. No discussion.' The Doctor moved over to treat another patient. Bill lay back in his bed and a tear streaked down his cheek.

A few weeks later, Bill was lying in a hospital ward back in the States. His leg was in a thick cast. He stared vacantly out of the window. The door opened and an elderly woman stepped inside.

'Hey, Mom…' Bill greeted without even looking at her.

'Oh, William!' she said, running up to him, embracing him tightly. 'Now I can't stay for long, dear. The nurses don't want visiting too long.'

'That's okay…' Bill muttered. 'I'll see you tomorrow… and the day after that. And after that…'

'I've made some sandwiches for you,' she said, pulling them out of her handbag. 'Your favourite; tuna and sweet corn.'

'My favourite is chicken and sweet corn,' Bill corrected.

'Oh…' she sounded disappointed. 'Well it's better than the sludge they feed you, no doubt.' Bill continued to stare out of the window. His Mother stood up and walked in front of his view.

'William, what's the matter?' she asked him. 'I thought you'd be happy, being back home.'

'I'm not,' Bill said scathingly.

'But why? You're safe, with your friends and family. People who care about you.' Bill shook his head.

'It's not for me…' he said plainly.

'But why?' she asked again. Bill looked from the window into her eyes.

'I hate this,' he spat. 'This life… it's just so…'

'Boring?' his Mother interrupted.

'Fake!' Bill shouted. His Mother recoiled in shock. 'Sorry… It's just all this… raising a family, getting a decent job, hosting dinner parties… it's just not for me! The only thing that makes me feel complete or happy or whatever you want to call it, is fighting for my life, protecting my country.' He noticed his Mother looking quite upset. 'And the people I love…' She looked over to him and embraced him again.

'God, William…' she wept. 'You put me through so much…'

'Don't worry,' Bill reassured her. 'With my injuries, they're never gonna send me back.'

'I know, the Doctors said so…' She held him tighter. 'I know you don't want to stay but… at least you'll be safe here.'

'Yeah,' Bill said. 'I guess the safest place in the world will always be America…'

*

Bill sighed as he took in the sights. A soldier was patrolling past them and Bill stopped him.

'Where's your commanding officer?' he asked him. The soldier pointed him to one tent and Bill set off for it, the other three following. He barged inside and saw a man with a gold bar pinned to his army uniform. He looked up from his paper work and raised an eyebrow.

'Ah,' he said. 'You're the four new additions, a pleasure.'

'What paperwork could you possibly be doing?' Louis asked.

'Duty rotas, nothing fancy,' the man stood up. 'Second lieutenant Stewart Hackett. It's nice to meet you.'

'I'm sure,' Bill muttered. 'What the hell was that whole gassing thing all about?'

'We needed to disinfect you,' Hackett explained. 'We've got too few men here already and we couldn't risk you infecting us. Your blood samples all checked out, too, so you're not gonna turn on us any time soon.'

'That's comforting…' Francis joked.

'What's the plan now?' Zoey asked him.

'A chopper is coming to pick you up soon,' Hackett said. 'We're lucky. All other times we've had choppers picking people up, we've been under heavy attack.'

'So you've rescued others?' Bill asked.

'Oh yes,' Hackett grinned. 'We're not dead yet.'

'Is there anything we can do to help?' Bill asked, prompting surprised reactions from the others.

'You can stay if you want,' Louis laughed nervously, 'but there's no way we're staying here.'

'Why do you want to stay?' Zoey asked him tenderly. He turned to her and smiled.

'It's the only thing I'm good at,' he smiled. Hackett shook his head.

'Sorry, but you'll just be in the way. You'll be much better getting out of here.'

'I want to stay!' Bill insisted. 'I can fight. Damn it, I'm gonna see peace back on Earth even if I have to kill each of those bastards when my own God damn hands!'

'That's what I'm talking about!' Francis cheered.

'Damn straight!' Bill grinned.

'I wanna stay, too,' Francis stood will Bill and put a hand on his shoulder.

'I thank you for your offer,' Hackett said, 'but I can't…'

A soldier burst into the tent.

'Lieutenant!' he cried, sounding very worried. 'We've got a major problem!' Hackett stood up and followed the soldier out of the tent. The four survivors followed him into another tent. Inside was a wide array of equipment. The main display was what appeared to be radar monitor, a group of soldiers standing around it. 'The helicopter is here,' the soldier explained, pointing to a blip.

'What the hell is that?' Bill asked, pointing to the monitor. Around the centre of the screen was what appeared to be a general haze. It surrounded the camp completely and was gradually getting closer.

'That,' Hackett said grimly. 'That is our worst nightmare…'

'They're infected?' Francis asked.

'Yes… all heading straight for us…'

'How many?' Zoey asked. Hackett turned around.

'Thousands…'

'My God…' Bill gasped.

'Talk about outnumbered…' Louis attempted to joke. Zoey shot him a disapproving glare.

'The helicopter will be here in about ten minutes…' Hackett reported. 'They'll be here in five.' Hackett left the tent and ran to the centre tower. He raised the alarm. 'Everyone, arm up!' he instructed. He turned to the four survivors. 'I take it I can count on your assistance?'

'Damn straight!' Bill said. 'Where are our weapons?' Hackett took them to the armoury. Each survivor took a supply bag full of ammunition. They donned protective vests and secured weapons. Each took two pistols. Bill and Louis took assault rifles, Francis took an automatic shotgun while Zoey grabbed her saved hunting rifle. Molotov cocktails were also supplied to them.

'I'd rather have a grenade,' Bill muttered. 'I suppose this will do, though,' he added, noting the reactions from his friends. Hackett took a weapon of his own.

'I don't know your names,' he said apologetically. 'Hopefully we'll be able to get to know each other after this.' There was a tone to his voice that was unconvincing. 'You,' he pointed to Zoey, 'take position in the central tower. We've not got many good snipers.'

'Roger,' Zoey ran and climbed the ladder.

'You ready for this?' he asked them. Bill gave him a sly look.

'We've been through worse than a couple thousand vampires,' Francis said confidently.

'They're zombies, Francis,' Louis corrected.

'What? No they're not!'

'They're zombies, Francis!' Zoey yelled from the top of the tower.

'We need to take positions to suppress the horde,' Bill suggested, ignoring the banter. 'Lieutenant, we should each take positions at the entrance.' Hackett pointed to Louis.

'Stay in the centre with these soldiers and kill any that manage to break inside.' He moved to Francis. 'Take the front. I'll take the back.'

'I'll join you,' Bill offered. Hackett nodded and they all split up. Taking position by the back entrance, Bill and Hackett loaded their weapons. In the distance, the sound of a tank roared through the night. A tree was uprooted and tossed through the air, landing close to the camp.

'Oh God…' Hackett gasped.

'You think that's bad?' Bill cocked his weapon. 'You should have seen what one did to Mercy Hospital…'


	11. At All Costs

11. At All Costs

The tank ran up the hill and approached the camp.

'Open fire!' Hackett ordered. He and Bill began shooting at the beast as it gradually came closer to them. Zoey got the head in the sights of her rifle and began firing repeated shots, seemingly having no effect. 'Paris!' Hackett yelled to a soldier behind him. 'Fire!' Hackett grabbed Bill's shoulder and forced him to the ground. Before he knew what was going on, a rocket was launched over his head and straight into the tank's chest. The body shattered and fell to the ground, flames flickering.

'Nice shot!' Louis beamed.

'Lieutenant!' a soldier cried from the communications tent. 'They're coming!'

'ETA?' Hackett asked. Before he could answer, Zoey yelled from the top of the central tower.

'Now!' she answered for him. Looking all around, infected were running for them.

'Open fire!' Hackett screamed. He and Bill kept the infected at bay from their entrance while Francis and Louis were doing a good job at theirs. Zoey on the tower supported anyone who needed it. She looked over to the western fence. It was already being overrun with infected, climbing over and invading the camp.

'Time to start some fires…' she muttered. Francis decapitated several infected in one shotgun blast and kicked away the other approaching infected as he reloaded. Louis emptied his assault rifle magazine into the horde and reloaded as Francis continued shooting. The western fence suddenly erupted in flames. The infected that were climbing over it collapsed dead. The soldier in the tower with Zoey suddenly dropped his weapon. She looked over to him and saw him get dragged over the edge by a smoker's tongue. He landed on the ground head first, with a sickening crack. Bill saw the smoker in the distance and killed it.

The horde started becoming dense. Francis and Louis were being forced back inside the camp as infected began straying inside. The soldier, Paris, with the rocket launcher was pounced by a hunter. He collapsed to the ground and fired the rocket into the air. It shot past the tower straight up into the sky. Hackett turned to Paris and ran to help him, leaving Bill vulnerable. He too was forced back in the camp. He took a Molotov and lit it with the end of his cigarette. Bill threw it at the entrance and a temporary wall of flame acted as a barrier for a short while.

Hackett kicked the hunter off Paris and shot it dead. Paris stood and took an assault rifle, shooting the incoming infected. Most of the people still alive, including Francis and Louis, had been pushed to the central tower. Zoey was still at the top, doing her best to help suppress the attack. The cry of a hunter was heard over the horde. Bill reloaded his weapon and saw a hunter dive straight at him. Francis blasted it away before it grabbed him.

'Take that you sweatshirt wearing wussy!' he spat. Another hunter jumped on Francis' back, knocking him to the ground. Louis kicked it in the face and shot it dead. The infected were getting closer and closer. In the thick of the horde, a boomer waddled toward them, shielded by the infected. Zoey saw it and shot it, blasting the nearby infected away.

'Up here!' she ordered. 'I'll hold them off!' Hackett nodded to the others and sent Bill up first. Louis followed him closely. Paris moved to climb the ladder but was pulled away by a smoker. Zoey looked over and saw him. She beheaded the smoker while Francis started climbing.

'Paris, come on!' Hackett cried. He ran for Paris and helped him up. 'You first,' he ordered. Paris started to climb but was pulled down by a boomer. In a panic, he shot it and was coated in bile. The explosion damaged one of the support beams of the tower. Hackett tried to assist him, but it was far too late. The horde completely surrounded Paris and tore him apart. Hackett hesitated as he saw Paris' get throat out. It was just enough time for a smoker's tongue to wrap around him. Hackett was dragged away toward his death.

Zoey intervened, shooting the smoker in the face. Hackett jumped to his feet and ran toward the tower, beating the infected away. One infected grabbed him, knocking him to the side. Hackett lost his assault rifle as he tried to get to freedom. He jumped up onto the ladder and climbed as fast as he could. As infected followed him, the wooden beams began to splinter and snap. As Hackett climbed, he noticed the supports gradually decaying. They would not last much longer.

Hackett stayed on the ladder, kicking infected that climbed up away.

'The helicopter's here!' Zoey announced. In the distance a green Huey soared over the trees.

'This shit's getting more like 'Nam every second…' Bill muttered as the helicopter approached. 'Lieutenant! Get up here right now!' Hackett stopped kicking the infected away and resumed climbing with increased vigour. Francis grabbed his hand and pulled him up. Louis began shooting the other infected that were climbing. Hackett took a portable radio and barked orders into it.

'We're trapped in the central tower,' he cried. 'Pull up alongside and we'll jump!'

'Pull up alongside?' Francis commented. 'It's not a car.'

'You know who's gonna survive this mess, Francis?' Bill barked. 'It ain't the fellow making jokes!' The Huey flew into the camp and came alongside the crippled tower.

'You first,' Bill said to Zoey. Zoey looked at the gap and stepped back.

'I'll go first,' Louis offered.

'Someone go first!' Hackett spat. Louis leapt for the open compartment on the Huey and landed perfectly. He turned and held his hand out. Zoey moved to jump but the tower tilted violently toward the helicopter. She instinctively grabbed a rail while Bill fell over the side. He grabbed the edge and put his feet against the wood. He pushed himself off and into the air, landing inside the Huey. Francis looked to Zoey. She pushed him ahead. He jumped into the helicopter and turned, waiting for Zoey.

'Now you!' Hackett ordered. Zoey nodded reluctantly and prepared to jump. The rocket Paris had launched into the air a few moments earlier had started falling back down to the ground. The Huey was right in its path. Infected were climbing the tower from all sides. It began to break and splinter. Zoey and Hackett began to slide with the tower. Hackett fell over the edge and Zoey grabbed onto his hand. He was too heavy for her to hold on for long.

'Come on!' Francis cried. The tower suddenly shuddered violently. Zoey stumbled, dropping Hackett. He fell right into the middle of the horde. From the ladder, infected climbed up and ran for Zoey. In a panic, she jumped toward the Huey. On infected grabbed her leg as she jumped, causing her to be pulled back.

'Francis!' she gasped desperately. Francis grabbed Zoey's hand, she hung over the infested camp. He tried pulling her up but the sudden jolt caused the helicopter to veer out of control for a moment. It flew out of the path of the rocket, which dropped past the blades and into the infected below. There was a large explosion and the tower collapsed to the ground. The pilot managed to level the helicopter out.

'Setting a course…' he told them. Francis was pulling Zoey up when the helicopter jolted violently to the side. The window of the pilot's door had shattered. A smoker's tongue had shot through. 'What the hell?' the pilot had managed to say before he was dragged away. The door popped open and he fell to his death. The helicopter veered out of control. Francis' grip on Zoey loosened.

Bill jumped into the pilot's seat and attempted to control the helicopter. It spun in the air completely out of control for a few moments. Bill pulled on the cyclic hard and the nose of the Huey stuck up in the air. He then managed to level it out and flew away from the camp. Francis and Louis pulled Zoey up together. She sat on the seat, breathing heavily.

'He's dead…' she gasped.

'Don't worry about that now,' Bill said, taking the helicopter higher out of the range of any possible danger.

'I didn't know you could fly a chopper,' Louis commented.

'Hey, I was in 'Nam,' Bill grinned.

'I worked in an office,' Louis responded. 'Doesn't mean I know how to build a computer… or work the fax machine.' He chuckled to himself and looked over to Zoey. She had her face buried in her hands. Louis' face fell slightly. 'Zoey, are you alright?' She did not answer.

'The pilot put the course in,' Bill said, attempting to divert the conversation. 'We'll be there in about an hour…' The helicopter roared into the distance, leaving the world of the infected behind one and for all.

*

A man in a dark suit walked down the blank, white corridor. He had dark green eyes and a large scar under his left eye. He was accompanied by another man, dressed in a white lab coat. His name tag read "Dr. G Cid".

'Is the President secure?' Cid asked.

'Of course the President is secure,' the man in the suit said plainly with a British accent. 'He was secure before all of this got out of hand.'

'What do we do now?' Cid asked.

'We'll wait a week or so… maybe two,' the other man said. 'That'll route out those naturally immune from those who're just plain lucky…'

'Then we'll pick them up,' Cid suggested.

'Exactly,' the main straightened his tie. 'It's been four hours since first infection. Before long it'll spread quicker than anyone could predict.'

'I guess we just have to wait a couple of weeks then,' Cid sighed. The two men stepped through a set of double doors and into what appeared to be an observation room. In front of them was a glass window with metal bars on the other side. 'At least we've got plenty to do…' Cid mused, looking through the glass at a witch slumped on the ground, weeping.

*

The Huey flew over a beach, littered with corpses. On the ground, a quarantine fence had been overrun and collapsed. Bill started flying over the ocean.

'Are you sure we're going the right way?' Francis asked.

'You should have gone left, before,' Louis joked.

'I'm just following what these instruments say…' Bill told them. 'Another few miles and we'll be there…'

The helicopter flew further out to sea. As the land behind slowly shrunk away, the survivors exchanged nervous glances.

'What was it you said, Bill?' Francis asked. 'After all we've been through, you'll be damned if we drown?'

'I agree,' Bill muttered. 'I'm turning us around.'

'Look!' Zoey cried. To the left in the distance, a vessel was visible. Bill turned to fly for it. As they approached, the radio burst into life.

'USS Lincoln to Chopper Five,' the radio cackled. 'Come in.'

'This is Chopper Five,' Bill said. 'I guess…'

'Who is this?' the person on the other end asked. 'You're not the pilot.'

'The pilot's dead,' Bill said bluntly. 'The important thing is that there are four of us and we're not dead.'

'I can't let land without…' Bill cut him off.

'Son we're immune, we're tired and there's infected back on land!' he cried. 'So cut the shit and let us land!'

'That's what I'm talking about!' Louis beamed.

'Damn straight!' Bill muttered. The helicopter approached the aircraft carrier and slowed down. Bill hovered it over a landing zone and proceeded to put it down. 'I was never good at landings,' Bill told them, to nervous glances. 'So… hold onto something.' Francis looked around the compartment.

'Like what?'

The Huey slowly dropped to the landing zone. It impacted the metal with great force. Louis fell out of his seat. Bill turned off the engines and stepped outside the cockpit. He took a deep breath of ocean air. The other three stepped out of the helicopter and stood still. Bill moved around the Huey to join them.

'What's going on?' he asked. He suddenly paused, too. In front of them were a line of soldiers with rifles pointed at them. 'Watch where you point those things!' he exclaimed.

'Be quiet!' one of the soldiers screeched.

'Stand aside,' someone behind the wall of soldiers called. A man stepped forward with five stars attached to his uniform. He wore black and gold shoulder boards.

'Admiral Jaeger,' the man introduced himself. The survivors recoiled slightly. 'Would you mind telling me what the hell you're doing with this helicopter?'

'The pilot was killed,' Louis told them. 'So we improvised.'

'What happened?' Jaeger asked.

'Do you have a son?' Zoey interrupted. Jaeger looked to her, slightly surprised.

'What business is that of yours?' he asked.

'We met someone called Richard Jaeger a little while ago…' she said.

'Richard Junior!' the Admiral stepped forward. 'He's not with you? I take it he didn't… make it…' Zoey shook her head grimly. Jaeger sighed and composed himself.

'What happened?' he asked again.

'The camp was overrun by the infected… we had to make a quick getaway,' Louis explained.

'You've come in contact with the infected?' Jaeger asked.

'Yeah but we're immune,' Francis said. Jaeger nodded his head.

'Right…' he muttered. 'Remain here for the moment.' Jaeger turned and left, stepping inside the carrier.

'What the hell's this guy's problem?' Bill asked.

'He's the Father of that boat captain,' Zoey told him. 'Let's not tell him what went on down there…'

'I hear that,' Louis agreed.

Inside, Jaeger stepped inside his office. Another officer was leaning against his desk.

'What's going on?' he asked. He had dark green eyes and a large scar underneath his left eye.

'Four survivors have just come in…' he told him. 'They claim to be immune but they could be carriers.' The man nodded.

'Alright… keep them away from everyone,' the man ordered. He had a British accent. 'We'll take some blood samples and, since we don't want any outbreaks onboard, we'll just have to dispose of them.' Jaeger nodded in understanding.

'I'll have them separated,' he said. He then paused and thought for a moment. 'It doesn't feel right, just killing healthy people.' The other man stood up and got right in Jaeger's face.

'These things have to be done,' he said softly. 'If we fail, the entire world could very well collapse into disorder. That's not what we want. Is it what you want?' Jaeger hesitated but then shook his head. 'CEDA will contain this infection,' the man insisted. He gave Jaeger a serious glare.

'At all costs…'


	12. At All Costs Part Two

12. At All Costs Part Two

The man in the dark suit with dark green eyes and a scar under his left eye took a seat in front of a large computer monitor. The screen flickered to life and an image of Dr. Cid began staring back at him. Cid nodded a greeting at him.

'Hello, Mr. Avery,' Cid said. 'How are things on the front lines?'

'Excellent,' Avery answered flatly. 'We've already rounded up over two hundred survivors.'

'Yes, we've got them,' Cid looked at a clipboard. 'Only fifty of them had what we were looking for. We're going to have to get more.'

'We've commandeered a news helicopter,' Avery reported. 'We're sending it into Fairfield every so often to rescue survivors from the local hospital. Also; the Admiral's son is patrolling the waterways to rescue people from the riverside towns. The army has set up a camp in Allegheny, so we're offering to airlift any survivors they pick up. I've also arranged for weapons and ammunition do be supplied to strategic locations; to make sure that those who are immune have as much chance of surviving long enough for us retrieve them.'

'Well then, Director,' Cid said with a tone of praise. 'It seems that you've defiantly got a handle on things. I can see why they've appointed you as the head of CEDA.' Avery leant back in his chair and sighed.

'I take it there was something else you wanted to discuss?' he asked. 'You don't call me all the way from Europe during a looming global crisis just give me praise.' Doctor Cid looked uneasy. He sighed and leant forward to the camera, crossing his arms.

'When you left yesterday,' he said, 'the female specimen we were observing was sat, weeping.'

'Yes I remember,' Avery acknowledged. 'What about it?'

'We… decided to perform various experiments to study the creature further,' Cid explained. 'When we exposed it to bright lights and loud noises, it went berserk, quite literally and broke out of containment.' Avery looked surprised.

'How did that happen?' he asked. 'We are talking about the same specimen, right?'

'Yes,' Cid confirmed. He looked increasingly uneasy. 'It… possesses an incredible amount of strength when provoked. It managed to tear through the metal bars and glass and tore through all of the research staff.'

'All twelve?' Avery asked, astonished. 'Incredible…'

'It took a lot of firepower to bring it down,' Cid continued. 'When it was finally disposed of, several staff began to display early symptoms of the virus... In about three hours, several researchers were transformed into creatures we could hardly imagine existing.' Avery nodded, taking the information in.

'Incredible,' he gasped.

'There's one further problem, though,' Cid said quietly. He rolled his sleeve up and put his arm up to the camera. It was wrapped in a bandage, covered in blood. Avery's eyes widened. He stood up and shook his head.

'Are you contained?' he asked.

'The entire location has been secured…' Cid said solemnly. 'The standard procedures will be executed in a few hours…' Avery remained silent. 'You're now in charge, Director,' Cid said grimly. 'You know what we need to achieve. I have every faith in you.'

'I understand,' Avery said.

'You must accomplish our goals,' Cid insisted. 'At all costs.' He turned the monitor off and sat back down. He put his hands together by his face and thought for a moment. Director Avery started to grin.

*

Director Avery walked with Admiral Jaeger through the corridor of the aircraft carrier, heading for the outer deck.

'Is there any chance of us getting the infection?' Jaeger asked.

'Are they showing any symptoms?' Avery asked flatly.

'Not yet,' Jaeger replied. 'Maybe they're not infected?'

'I'm not taking that chance,' Avery insisted. 'Should they start showing symptoms, a single scratch could pass on the infection.' Avery sighed. 'It's a good thing it's not airborne or we'd be in real hot water. Have you separated them?'

'I've ordered them to be taken to holding areas of the carrier,' Jaeger reported. 'I'll give the order shortly.' Avery stopped. He glared at the Admiral.

'You should have just shot them on the deck!' he insisted. Jaeger looked around nervously; making sure no one heard them. He stepped close to Avery and whispered angrily to him.

'My men were given orders to rescue any survivors, not execute them!' A sailor emerged from a junction and walked past them. Jaeger followed him with his eyes until he descended some stairs. 'If I give orders to commit murder on civilians I could get court marshalled, not to mention risk a mutiny. My men are good men; they're not just going to kill these people without good reason.' Avery stepped closer to the Admiral and got right in his face.

'If you don't do this…' he began but Jaeger interrupted him.

'My men follow _my_ orders,' he spat, 'not the orders from the Director of CEDA.' He pushed Avery away and straightened his uniform. 'We'll observe them for now and take appropriate action should we need to.' Avery glared at him angrily. 'If you bring this up again I will have you detained. Do you understand?' Avery turned and walked down the corridor in the opposite direction. Jaeger sighed and wiped his brow with a handkerchief. He turned and descended the stairs.

Admiral Jaeger stepped into the sickbay. He asked the doctor to give him some privacy. As the doctor left, Jaeger looked toward Zoey who was sat on a bed. She smiled at him.

'Sorry, I've not properly introduced myself,' Jaeger apologised. 'I am Admiral Richard Jaeger. I'm part of the defensive effort to secure survivors like you.' Zoey smiled.

'Well thanks, Admiral,' she said genuinely, 'for rescuing us. It feels good to finally be safe.' Jaeger swallowed uncomfortably. Zoey sensed his discomfort. 'Sorry, I'm Zoey,' she introduced herself.

'Glad to meet you, Zoey,' Jaeger nodded. He paused for a moment before giving her a sincere look. 'So you met my son?' he asked. Zoey returned his feelings of discomfort by shuffling uncomfortably.

'Yes… we did,' she said softly. She looked at Jaeger Senior. 'He looked a lot like you…'

'What happened?' he asked. Zoey sighed and passed her tongue over her lips.

'We were in a town called Riverside,' she explained, 'and we were overwhelmed by the horde…' Jaeger raised an eyebrow. 'That's what we call the infected, they horde together to attack. Anyway your son was passing on his boat and rescued us. He told us about the army camp and we headed for it.' She paused. 'He saved our lives…'

Zoey thought back to the incident on the boat. She remembered Zachary pulling Jaeger's body out of the river, a gunshot wound to the face, a wound that was probably inflicted by Zoey herself, when she accidently fired the handgun when she fell off the vessel. Admiral Jaeger pulled her from her thoughts by placing his hand on her shoulder.

'Are you alright?' he asked. Zoey nodded, rubbing her forehead.

'It's been tough,' she said. 'I guess it's all sinking in… the past two weeks have been…'

'I can only imagine,' Jaeger said reassuringly. 'How long have you four been together?' Zoey looked across the room, thinking. She then looked back at the Admiral.

'I'm not sure exactly how long,' she answered. 'It's been a while though.'

'I guess you four really came together,' Jaeger applauded. 'On this ship, we have a motto; "shall not perish." He paused. '"Get over it."' Zoey chuckled lightly.

'Oddly fitting,' she commented.

'It suits,' he said. 'You and the other three and all of the other survivors we've picked up… you've all overcome the infection.' Zoey smiled weakly. Jaeger stepped back and scratched his face.

'Has a cure been found yet?' Zoey asked. Jaeger shook his head grimly.

'We can't even get samples from them…' he explained. 'All science personnel who go in to get blood samples end up dead. We can't get samples from the dead bodies because the virus seems to degrade after the host dies.'

'Oh God…' Zoey clutched the clothes at her chest and closed her eyes. 'This is a nightmare.' There was a pause.

'Well…' Jaeger said. 'I'll give you some time alone.' He left the sickbay, leaning against the door as he closed it behind him. He sighed and closed his eyes for a moment. The doctor stepped from around a corner and put a hand on his shoulder.

'You look like hell, Dick,' he commented. Jaeger nodded and straightened himself up.

'Make sure no one visits sickbay,' he told him. 'Under no circumstances. You understand?' The doctor nodded, puzzled.

'Why?' he asked as Jaeger started walking down the corridor.

'The Director is giving us hell…' he muttered to himself, climbing some stairs.

*

Director Avery walked into his cabin. The tag outside read "AID – Avery Ingram, Director'. Avery sat down at his desk and sighed. He took out his mobile phone and dialled a number. He put the phone to his ear and it rang three times.

'Yes, Director,' the man on the other end said.

'Jaeger is giving us problems…' Avery said. 'If we get him out of the way, I'll be in charge of this vessel.'

'Understood… shall I take him out?'

'No,' Avery muttered. 'Do the girl in sickbay. She will distract Jaeger long enough for us to eliminate the other three.' Jaeger will probably put me off the ship if he finds out so we need to make sure we do this right.'

'Why do we need them dead?' he man asked.

'They have not been disinfected since their recent exposure,' the Director said forcefully. 'I do not want this ship turning into an infected tub, you understand?'

'Yes, Director,' the man said. 'But what about…?'

'The girl will be contained, now hurry up and kill her, doctor.'

On the other end of the phone, the sickbay doctor hung up and put his phone in his breast pocket. He looked over at Zoey who was lying down a bed, resting. He picked up a syringe and stepped over to her…

Jaeger stormed inside the Director's cabin. He was just hanging up the phone as he entered.

'I thought cell phone networks had been cut off,' Jaeger asked suspiciously. The Director stood up and sighed.

'Come with me, please, Admiral,' he insisted. The two stepped outside the cabin and walked down the corridor. 'I must apologise for my… over enthusiasm for protecting us.'

'I'm not gonna murder civilians,' Jaeger said bluntly.

'After taking a moment to think about it,' the Director said, 'I agree with you.' The two stepped out onto the outer deck. They began walking down the deck to the back of the vessel. 'Where are they?'

'I separated them to get them checked out,' said Jaeger. 'They've got no injuries so I'm sure they'll be fine. The pickup vessels are coming in a few days, on schedule.' He paused. 'You're going with them, off the ship.' The Director stopped, looking angry.

'I beg your pardon,' he said, astounded.

'You're not needed here,' Jaeger insisted. The Director leant over the side of the safety rails and looked into the water. 'The Navy is executing CEDA's plans effectively. There's no need for you to stay on the front lines, so to speak.'

'If I go,' the Director said quietly, 'who's going to lead your men?' The Admiral looked at him suspiciously. He stepped back from the Director.

'Don't you threaten me.'

'It's not a threat, Admiral,' the Director smirked. Jaeger stared at him venomously and walked away, resisting the urge to hurt him.

*

The doctor stepped toward Zoey, syringe in his hand. She sat up as he approached.

'What's that for?' she asked him.

'You said you hit your head a little while ago,' the doctor asked. Zoey nodded. 'This will get rid of the headache you're probably feeling.'

'Well now that you mention it…' Zoey muttered, rubbing her head.

'Now don't worry,' the doctor said softly, getting the needle close to her neck. 'This won't hurt a bit…' His phone suddenly started ringing loudly. He dropped the needle to the ground in shock. Zoey recoiled, unsure of how to take his reaction. The doctor answered.

'What?' he hissed.

'Is the girl done yet?'

'I was about to before you rang,' the doctor stepped away from Zoey. She eyed him suspiciously. 'Very good, doctor. As soon as you've done it, get the hell out of there. No sense in you dying along with everyone else.' The doctor hung up the phone and turned back to Zoey, a dirty grin on his face. 'Now where were we?'

He picked up the syringe and once more stepped toward Zoey.

'Aren't you gonna get a new one?' she asked. The doctor stepped back.

'Why?' he asked.

'Well it fell to the floor,' she protested. 'I don't want to get something from the ground!'

'Oh don't worry,' the doctor dismissed, stepping closer. 'It'll be fine.' Zoey stood up from the table.

'I thought cell phones were all dead?' she asked.

'Not the military ones,' the doctor stepped closer to her.

'But that didn't look like a…' she trailed off. 'Where are my friends?'

'They're safe,' the doctor said.

'Yes, but you've not told me where they are…'

There was a silence. Zoey looked to the door. When she looked back she saw the doctor lunge at her with the syringe. Zoey knocked it out of his hand to the ground and turned, running for the door. The doctor grabbed her around the waist and lifted her up.

'You're going nowhere!' he cried, throwing her to the far side of the room. He picked up the syringe and slowly stepped toward her.

'What's in that?' she asked.

'Something to calm you down…' the doctor grinned. 'Don't worry… it won't hurt.'

'You keep saying that,' Zoey spat, her back to the wall. 'What are you trying to do?'

'Just shut up,' the doctor muttered, making a sudden lunge for her again. Zoey kicked his arm away and pushed past him. She ran for the door but could not get it open. As he came close, Zoey ran for his office and slammed the door shut. She locked it from her side. 'I got the keys…' the doctor said mockingly. He kicked the door open and Zoey was trapped. 'Now play nice,' he said. Zoey positioned herself on the opposite corner of his desk. He stepped to the other side. 'Stop this, it's pathetic,' he hissed.

'Alright,' said Zoey. She kicked the desk forward, pinning the doctor against the wall. He dropped the syringe onto the desk. Zoey jumped onto the desk and grabbed the syringe. The doctor tried to jump forward but Zoey slapped him and stuck the needle into his neck. The doctor cried out in shock as Zoey injected him with whatever was in the needle. He spat out some blood instantly and fell to the ground. Zoey, panting, dropped the syringe, grabbed her bag and ran out of the sickbay.

In another area of the vessel, Bill pushed his way past the guards, annoyed at being made to wait.

'Wait,' one of the guards said weakly. 'Sir, sir? You can't leave!'

'I was in 'Nam,' Bill said disgustedly. 'You can't lock me in a broom cupboard!'

'That's the mess hall, actually,' the soldier said. 'And 'Nam was like… 60 years ago.' Bill turned around, a look of anger on his face.

'That was _Korea_!' he spat. 'How old do you think I am?'

'I dunno… about… eighty?' Bill looked beyond insulted. He took a deep breath.

'What's your name?' he asked.

'Ensign Graham, sir,' the soldier said. Bill stepped close to him.

'Well, Graham,' he said, 'I may seem old, but I've managed to fight through thousands of those undead bastards and come out alive. What have you done?'

'I… er…' Graham looked very uncomfortable. 'I don't usually guard.'

'That's fascinating,' Bill muttered. 'If you'll excuse me.' He walked away from Graham and ran into Zoey. She ran into his arms, hysterical. 'Zoey, what the hell's wrong?'

'The doctor…' she wept. 'He attacked me!'

'Holy shit, what did he do to you?'

'Nothing,' she tried to compose herself. 'But he's…' Ensign Graham looked to his fellow soldier.

'Go check out the doctor,' he told him. The other man ran off while Graham stayed with Bill and Zoey.

'We need to find the rest of our people,' Bill instructed. 'Now.'

In the meantime, the soldier ran into the sickbay. He ran to the doctor's body and checked the pulse. He was still alive. He ran out of the room and called for help. More medical personnel arrived. When they entered the room, they ran for the doctor's body but he had been moved.

'Where is he?' one of them asked. Behind one of the beds a hunter suddenly leapt for one of them. The screams could be heard throughout the vessel. Bill and Zoey looked to each other as they were moving.

'Oh God, no…' she gasped.

*

An alarm rang through the ship. Francis left the room he was confined to when the guards ran from their posts. Louis emerged from a nearby area.

'What the hell's going on?' he asked him.

'Hell if I know,' Francis shrugged. 'I hate the Navy…'

'So do I after they locked me in a closet,' Louis said, some soldiers pushing past him. 'I think we should get up top.'

'Sure,' Francis muttered, looking around. 'Which way is it?' Louis shrugged. Francis tried to ask a passing solider but he was ignored. 'I hate seamen…'

*

Bill and Zoey ran through the corridors, pushing their way through the commotion.

'So he was gonna inject you with the virus?' he asked her.

'It looks like it,' Zoey said.

'Why the hell would he do that?'

'Well it's obvious, isn't it?' Zoey stopped and looked to him. 'There's someone onboard this ship that knows a lot more about this than they're letting on. If they've got samples of the virus then that means…'

'Surely they've got samples for a cure?' Bill suggested. 'I mean it's been two weeks since the first infection.'

'I spoke to the Admiral,' said Zoey. 'He said there's been no development of a cure and they can't even get any samples because it's too damn dangerous.'

'Then how did the doctor have a sample?' Zoey sighed worriedly.

'Perhaps this virus outbreak wasn't unintentional?' she suggested.

Before Bill could even think about her statement, gunfire was heard coming from the deck beneath them. Ensign Graham suddenly arrived and ushered them away.

'We need to get outside,' he ordered.

'What's going on?' Bill asked. Graham hesitated.

'There's infected onboard.' Below deck outside of sickbay, bodies lay on the floor. Several of them were not yet dead. Above deck, the Director stepped back inside the vessel. From another exit, Louis and Francis stormed outside.

'Right,' Louis muttered. 'Now let's split up and look for Bill and Zoey.' Francis looked to him and nodded. They ran off in separate directions. Inside, Bill started climbing some stairs. He stopped as gunfire shot over his head, forcing him back down.

'God damn it, check your fire!' he screamed. The firing stopped. Bill peeked over the stairs and saw two men with rifles. They lowered them as they saw him. Someone moved behind them. 'Watch your ass!' Bill cried. A smoker trapped one of them with its tongue. As he was dragged away, he fired his weapon blindly and hit his comrade. The other soldier fell down dead, his weapon sliding along the ground toward the stairs. Bill grabbed it and prepared to shoot the smoker, but it already had killed the other soldier. Bill jumped down the stairs and looked around.

'We need another way out!' he insisted.

'This way,' Graham told them, leading the way. Running through the corridors, they passed by other soldiers slumped to the ground. Zoey jumped over one, grazing the back of his head with her foot. The soldier got up, a mad look in his eye and grabbed her leg. She whimpered, as he held on tight. She kicked him away and ran along with Bill and Graham.

'You're a real catch,' Bill joked.

*

Admiral Jaeger ran out of the server room.

'Make sure that door is air tight,' he ordered. 'We can't risk anything breaking into there!' He ran down the corridor and headed for the bridge. 'I can't believe he was right…' he muttered to himself.

'I don't care,' the first officer yelled to someone on the bridge. 'Just get it contained, now!' The Director stepped onto the bridge, drawing the first officer's attention. 'What the hell do you think you're doing here?'

'The Admiral has died,' the Director said frankly. 'I am in charge now.'

'You listen to me,' the first officer said, stepping close to the Director. 'I don't know where you get off putting yourself in command; but even if the Admiral is dead that means I am in charge.'

'You may think that,' the Director replied. 'Frankly I don't care. As part of the mission operations agreement, with the lack of the Admiral I am in charge of this vessel.' The first officer looked to him angrily. 'Now, I want you to lock down the bridge. No one else enters or leaves. Do it now!' A few officers began carrying out his orders. 'Quarantine the lower decks and prepare hazard teams to begin decontaminating the lower areas.' The Director moved over a terminal and typed in a few commands.

'What are you doing?' the first officer asked.

'I'm making sure the infection doesn't spread beyond the lower decks,' the Director said. 'This vessel has been outfitted with countermeasures for infectious agents.'

'What kind of countermeasures?' the first officer asked suspiciously.

'Similar to the decontamination devices used in the army camps, like the one in Allegheny.' He paused to type in a few commands. He then activated it. 'Only it's far more… lethal.'

*

The doors and bulkheads sealed the outside world from the inside. Francis and Louis met each other and looked blank.

'They must still be inside,' Louis speculated. Francis nodded.

'I guess we'll just have to wait for them to come back out,' Francis said. The two looked over to the nearest door and saw someone banging on it. Curious, they approached him. 'What's wrong?' Francis asked.

'The doors have all sealed!' the soldier cried. Through the tiny porthole, they saw a young woman banging on the door, trying to get out. She looked very uncomfortable. She suddenly began coughing and choking. She clutched her throat and collapsed from their view.

'What the hell?' Louis was astounded.

*

Still inside, Bill, Zoey and Graham moved through the corridors. The alarm had stopped ringing; only the warning lights were still flashing. They turned a corner and saw a door in front of them. As they approached it, another soldier emerged from a corner further ahead. He tried to open the door but could not get out.

'What's going on?' Graham asked. The soldier turned to answer but suddenly began choking. Graham stepped back. There was a ventilation duct above him. A faint gas was emerging from it.

'Oh, God…' Zoey gasped. The solider collapsed, dead. 'They're gassing us!'

'This way!' Graham ordered. The three turned and ran away from the approaching smog. 'Let's try and get lower,' Graham suggested. 'There's one exit to the outer deck below but that's it…'

'It had better be open!' Bill cried. The three ran down another set of stairs and in the direction of the door. However before they even became close, they ran into people choking and falling over dead in the corridors. They turned direction and ran, looking for some other way out. They were met again by unpromising sights.

'We're trapped!' Bill spat.

'Game over, man,' Zoey cried hysterically. Graham looked around desperately. From another direction, Admiral Jaeger emerged. He looked over to the three and called out to them.

'This way!' he yelled. The three followed him as fast as they could. A hunter pounced on Graham as he lead, but Bill kicked it off him and Zoey stamped on its neck before there was any damage done. However, it did slow them down and they started to cough and choke.

'Nearly there,' Jaeger wheezed. The three entered a narrow passageway and stepped toward a large metallic door. Graham and Bill managed to push it open and the three stepped inside and slammed it shut, creating an airtight seal around the cracks. The room they were in contained numerous computer servers and was freezing cold. Fans up ahead circulated fresh air. The three survivors coughed and choked, trying to get the poison out of their lungs.

'This runs on a different air supply,' Jaeger said. 'We should be alright.' Zoey went to a chair by a computer terminal and sat down. Bill joined her.

'You alright?' he asked her. She shook her head.

'I think I want to go back to the zombies…' she muttered.

*

'Control of the lower decks has been gained,' the Director informed the bridge staff. They looked confused and unaware of what had just happened. The Director stepped away from his console and looked out of the window onto the outer deck, satisfied with his job. 'We're to abandon the rescue operation. The camp in Allegheny was the last to fall. We should get out of here as soon as possible…' His attention was caught from something below. Two people stuck out from all the soldiers and sailors. A tattooed biker and his officer worker companion were stood, looking as confused as the people on the bridge. The Director looked infuriated.

'Do you think they got out?' Louis asked.

'I don't know!' Francis yelled. 'Stop asking me.'

'Let's get up to the bridge,' Louis suggested. 'Maybe they'll have answers?'

'They'd better,' Francis muttered. 'Or I'm gonna be pissed. We didn't escape those vampires just to have the army go against us.'

'It's the Navy, Francis,' Louis corrected, ignoring the vampire comment. The two ascended a flight of outer stairs and went inside the upper decks. When they reached the door to the bridge, it was locked. 'Well now what do we do?' Louis asked. Francis looked around. Above them was a large ventilation duct, big enough for someone to fit through…

On the other side of the door, the first officer was less than enthusiastic about the sudden takeover.

'I refuse to let you continue!' he insisted.

'You call yourself a first officer?' the Director said sarcastically. 'I've just used technology on this vessel you didn't even know existed.'

'I'm relieving you of your authority!' the officer snapped with little sounding authority. The Director stepped toward him.

'You can't do that,' he whispered. 'You have no idea what has been happening to get us to this point.'

'What the hell are you talking about?' he finally snapped. Before the director could answer, Louis crashed through the ventilation duct from above. The Director aimed a weapon at him. As Louis got up he saw the pistol and held his hands up.

'Don't shoot!' he insisted.

'How the hell did you get here?' the first officer asked. I thought you'd be below decks, thanks to his orders.' Louis turned to the Director and his eyes narrowed.

'You've locked Bill and Zoey up down there?' he asked.

'Yes,' the Director said bluntly. 'But don't try to get them out. They're quite dead.' Louis moved close to the Director but he stepped back, aiming the pistol straight at his head. 'I'm sorry that after being left for dead out there you've now been subjected to this whole drama but I am afraid that since you're contaminated I can't let you live.' He moved to pull the trigger but the first officer pushed Louis out of the way.

'This ends now!' he yelled. 'I am now in charge of this carrier and you will do as I say! Lower the weapon, unlock the lower decks and prepare to report to the brig.' There was a moment of silence.

'No,' said the Director flatly, shooting the first officer in the chest. Everyone else on the bridge dived for cover. He stepped over the first officer's corpse and made an announcement to the entire ship. 'Attention, this is Avery Ingram, Director of CEDA operations. Due to unforeseen events, I am now in charge of this vessel. Since the four survivors we recently picked up have brought the infection along with them, the lower decks have had to have been secured before we can proceed with the operation. Now that the camps on land are destroyed, we will now commence evacuation procedures.'

In the server room, Bill, Zoey and Graham and Jaeger heard the speech. 'All hands to their stations, if possible. Prepare to set sail.' The four looked to each other.

'Why is he in charge?' Zoey asked, not really wanting an answer.

'The Director must have done this…' Jaeger muttered angrily.

'Who's the Director?' Bill asked.

'The Director of the Civil Emergency Defence Agency,' Jaeger explained. 'He's been in charge of this whole operation.'

'What operation? What are you talking about?' Bill asked, irritated.

'A lot of the information is classified,' Jaeger said. 'But suffice it to say he must have thought I was dead so he took control and decontaminated the lower decks.'

'How would he have known?' Zoey asked. Jaeger sighed.

'He knew I was still alive, so he has taken this ship by force and flooded the deck… I know it's him because only he and I know about the gas defence system.'

'That's mutiny!' Graham said.

'Yes, Ensign,' said Jaeger. 'We need to get out of here and retake the ship… it takes a while for the gas to dissipate so I have no idea what we could do.'

'Destroy the computers?' Zoey suggested. Everyone looked to her. 'It'd delay whatever else he's planning.'

'But then we'd be dead in the water,' said Jaeger. 'These computers do a hell of a lot around the ship… no, we need another plan.' Bill looked up at the others.

'Louis and Francis!' he said. 'Where were they taken?'

'The lower decks…' Jaeger said solemnly.

'I'm sure they got out!' Zoey said optimistically. 'I know that they did.'

*

Outside the entrance to the bridge, Francis was pacing. He had tried to open the door but it was still sealed. He could not reach or fit through the ceiling vent.

'Come on, Louis…' he muttered through gritted teeth. On the other side of the door, the bridge officers were still in shock at what had happened. Louis was hidden behind a console while the Director herded everyone into one corner.

'No one else has to die today,' he said. He looked at the crowd of people and sighed. 'Where are you?' he asked Louis. He was stood by the console Louis was hidden behind. 'Come on out, I won't hurt you.'

The Director started walking slowly around the console, Louis shifting around it so he wouldn't be seen.

'The bridge is hardly big, I will find you.' The Director looked to the rest of the officers. 'Where is he?' he asked them. Louis was in their sight, shaking his head. None of them said anything. Louis positioned himself further away from the Director. He took a pen that had been left by the console and threw it in the opposite direction. The Director turned to it. With his attention distracted, he did not see Louis slowly approach from behind. The Director saw the pen roll across the floor. 'No you don't…' he said softly. The Director turned and looked Louis in the eye. He then shot him twice in the chest. Louis stuttered and collapsed to the floor. 'One less carrier…' He pointed his weapon at the remaining bridge officers. 'Leave, now!' Quickly, the remaining officers unlocked the bridge door and left, the Director locking it behind them.

'Where's Louis? Francis asked on the other side. One of the officers shook his head at him. Francis' eyes widened. He looked to the door and his body started to shake. He stepped to the door and punched it with his fist. On the other side, the Director looked to the door, hearing the bang and then back to his console. Louis body was still on the ground, bleeding. His hand twitched.

*

In the server room, Zoey was pacing uncomfortably. She looked over to the Admiral.

'We have to do something!' she protested.

'If it doesn't involve crippling the ship, then I'm all ears,' said Jaeger.

'There must be something we can do!' she cried.

'There might be,' said Graham. Everyone turned to him.

'I'm all ears, Ensign,' said Jaeger. Graham stood up.

'Well, using the terminal Bill's sat at, we can possibly hijack the announcement system.'

'Why didn't I think of that?' Jaeger said, praising Graham. 'Good job. How long will it take?'

'A few minutes,' said Graham, typing into the computer. On the bridge, a computer console began to beep. The Director stepped over Louis to investigate. Louis eyes opened as the Director's foot passed over his head. He turned, painfully, over to see where he went to. As he stared at the computer Louis attempted to drag himself over to the door, leaving a trail of blood along the floor.

'Ah, Admiral,' the Director said to himself. 'So you're alive…' Louis got closer to the door. 'It could only be you in the server room… well let's see how things go when I turn off the air supply to your safe room…' He chuckled.

The server room fans suddenly shut off. Everyone looked worried.

'That's great,' Graham said sarcastically.

'What's going on?' Bill asked.

'The Director has switched off the fans,' Jaeger pointed out. 'So we're either going to suffocate or burn alive from the heat of the computers…'

'Can't we leave?' Zoey asked.

'We'll just choke to death in the gas…' Graham said.

'So our only thing we can do is…' Bill said. 'Wait to die?'

'Unless someone on the outside reactivates the fans, then yes,' said Jaeger.

'We'd better get a message out fast,' Bill said.

Louis dragged himself closer to the door. He managed to touch it with his fingers and then pull himself up to the handle. On the other side, Francis was stood, trembling still with anger. The door unlocked and Louis fell out.

'Louis!' Francis exclaimed. The Director turned and saw what was happening. He took his gun but Francis pulled Louis out of the way before he could shoot. The Director moved to close the door but a sudden loud noise of static went across the ship's intercom. Muffled words were spoken through the speakers.

'Damn them,' the Director muttered, turning back to the console. The words suddenly became clear and the Admiral's voice was heard all over the ship.

'This is Admiral Richard Jaeger,' he said. 'Time is short, so I'll be brief.' The Director started to sabotage the connection. Graham reported this to the Admiral. 'I am still alive, along with three other in Abe's server room. Avery Ingram, the Director who has been a part of this operation has released the toxic decontamination measures throughout the lower decks, killing many of our men and women. He has usurped my authority and must be stopped at all costs!' The Director began punching feverishly at the controls. In the server room, Jaeger wiped sweat from his brow.

'We believe he is in the bridge,' he said. 'Reclaim the bridge and attempt to purge the lower decks of the hazardous substances. Also, reactivate the server room systems as they have been disabled and the servers are close to overheating.' Jaeger took a breath. 'We cannot lose this battle,' he said before suddenly being interrupted. The Director had terminated the transmission.

Flustered, the Director turned to seal the door. Just outside, Louis looked to Francis. He nodded at him. Francis stood up and ran for the door. Just as the Director reached it, Francis jumped through and punched him in the face. The Director staggered back, throwing his gun into the air, it landing somewhere distant.

'So you're the man of the hour,' Francis joked. The Director remained silent. 'Are you responsible for the vampire outbreak?'

'What?' the Director asked, confused.

'I hate vampires,' Francis said. 'And I also hate you!'

Francis ran forward and punched the man in the face one again. The Director attempted to defend himself but Francis was too strong for him. Francis swooped his foot along the ground and tripped the Director over. He rolled along the ground and away from him. The Director stood up and was by the door. Looking out, he saw soldiers running for him. He slammed it shut and sealed it.

'It's only a matter of time before they get in here,' Francis said mockingly.

'I have contingencies,' said the Director. He snorted a laugh. 'You have absolutely no idea what you're dealing with.'

'Why don't you try me?' Francis asked.

'It's far beyond your comprehension!' the Director scoffed. 'All this goes far beyond a simple viral outbreak; a zombie apocalypse.'

'Alright,' Francis accepted. 'It probably does go above my understanding. I'll just kick your ass instead!' He lunged forward but the Director held up his hands.

'I wouldn't if I were you!' he grinned. 'You need me. I managed to eliminate half of the crew of this dinky little ship with a push of a button. Imagine what else I can do!' Francis hesitated. There was a loud noise from outside. One of the aircraft carrier's Harrier Jump Jets had taken off and stationed itself the air just outside the window of the bridge. Smugly, the Director smiled at the pilot.

'With so little effort, I infected the lower decks so that I could release the unnecessarily strong decontaminant and eliminate the Admiral and you four. I couldn't risk an uncontrolled outbreak seeing as how you weren't decontaminated before you arrived.'

'Why are you destroying this ship?' Francis asked, noticing the pistol on the ground near him.

'It's of no further use,' the Director explained. 'Besides, we can't have the soldiers saying that we've picked up quite a few more survivors…'

'Why not?' Francis stepped toward the weapon. The Director laughed.

'Because no one will ever see them again!' He smashed the bridge window and the Harrier positioned the wing close to the opening. Francis bent down to pick up the gun and fired it as he leant back up. As the Director jumped, the bullet went into his hip and he staggered, only managing to grab the wing with his hand. The plane began to veer out of control and began spinning to the ground. The tail crashed into the bridge and Francis had to dive out of the way to avoid the structure collapsing on him. The plane went over the water, going closer and closer to the surface of the ocean. A few meters above, the Director let go and landed in the sea. The Harrier managed to regain control and positioned itself facing the carrier. Inside, the pilot aimed for the bridge and armed the weapons.

Anticipating what would happen, Francis jumped from the broken window and fell onto a walkway that lead underneath the bridge. He then jumped down onto the deck. As he fell through the air, two rockets were launched into the bridge, the structure exploding with such a force the entire ship shuddered. Francis' leg snapped as he landed, his body rolling along the ground. The Harrier then launched two more rockets into the main hull of the ship, causing another explosion. Francis nursed his leg as the Harrier flew low to the ocean before flying off with great speed into the distance. The Director could not be seen on the surface of the water.

Louis was carried by on a stretcher.

'Jesus what happened?' he asked. The vessel lurched suddenly.

'Abandon ship!' a sailor cried. Various aircraft were being prepared for flight along with lifeboats. Louis and Francis were taken to a helicopter and settled down as the rotors began to spin.

'Where the hell are the others?' Francis asked.

*

Down in the server room, the four felt the sudden movement of the carrier. Alarm bells started to ring.

'Oh no,' Jaeger said sickly. 'They're abandoning the ship.'

'What do we do?' Zoey asked, feeling the vessel tilt slightly.

'There's not a lot we can do…' said Jaeger. 'The water would neutralise the gas, but we wouldn't be able to hold our breath long enough to swim out…'

'At least we won't burn to death…' Graham joked weakly. Bill stood up and snapped his fingers.

'Could we burn it?' he suggested.

'What?' Jaeger asked. He turned to Zoey. 'In your bag, is there anything in there to make some of your homemade pipe bombs?' Zoey checked.

'I think so,' she said. 'I've got enough for one, but I need some wires and a fuse to detonate it. Why?'

'An explosion,' Jaeger stepped in, 'would ignite the gas and burn it all away within moments! We can then run out before we all sink!'

'I'll need a few moments to get it all together but we'll need to get some wires and a fuse,' Zoey said.

'I'll start stripping these components,' Graham said, dismantling a computer monitor by throwing it to the ground and stamping on it.

Outside, several aircraft and lifeboats were launched. The pilot in Francis and Louis' helicopter was uneasy.

'We gotta go, now!' he insisted.

'Wait!' Francis ordered. 'Just wait… they'll come out.'

'They might already have escaped!' he pointed out.

'What about your Admiral?' Louis grunted. The medic tending to his wounds removed a bullet.

'The other one passed right through,' she said. 'You should be okay, provided we get the hell out of here!'

'Just a few more minutes,' Francis said. 'Please…'

Zoey assembled the crude pipe bomb and sighed.

'There's no smoke alarm on it but we've got no infected to attract,' she joked. 'I'm ready!' She lit the fuse with Bill's lighter. Bill lit his cigarette as well.

'Hold your breath!' Jaeger ordered. He broke the air tight seal of the door and swung it open. Zoey threw the pipe bomb into the corridor and Jaeger slammed it shut. He held it shut and waited a few moments. Nothing happened. Bill couldn't hold his breath much longer.

Jaeger was launched into the servers as the door burst open with a massive fireball. Flames shot through the corridors as Zoey's device worked, wiping out all the toxic gas and singing the corridors. Gasping for breath, the three ran over to the Admiral, helping him up.

'Let's move out!' he and Bill said at the same time. The four ran out and down the corridors.

The explosion ripped out from the deck. The pilot was forced to take off.

'Wait!' Francis screamed.

'Even if they were alive,' said the pilot, 'they couldn't have survived that!' Francis looked solemnly at the crippled vessel. It was sinking rapidly. The internal and external damage to the lower decks combined with the destroyed bridge, weakening the entire structure of the ship meant that it would sink in a matter of moments.

'We need to go back!' Francis pleaded. 'Please! Just to see if they're there!' Louis sat up and looked grimly as the USS Abraham Lincoln sank.

'We shall not perish!' Zoey yelled as they ran through the corridor.

'We can take a shortcut through the engine room!' Graham yelled. The noise of grinding metal went through the entire ship, the sickening sound sinking to the bottom of the survivor's stomachs.

'Hurry, Ensign!' the Admiral ordered. Graham took them to the engine room and waited for everyone to go inside before he did. As they ran along the catwalk that was suspended over the room that was filling with water, Jaeger looked back to Graham.

'I think you deserve a promotion after this,' he smiled.

'Thank you sir,' Graham smiled. The whole room shook and the rear part of the catwalk collapsed, along with Graham. He fell into the water and was pinned between some metal beams.

'Ensign!' Jaeger called from the catwalks.

'Go on without me!' Graham cried. The water was rising quickly; already it had passed his shoulders. Jaeger turned to Bill and Zoey.

'Keep going,' he told them. 'Follow the signs to the exit and get the hell out of here!' Before they could discuss it, the Admiral jumped down and waded over to Graham. Bill and Zoey looked to each other before moving.

'You should have saved yourself!' Graham said.

'There's something you learn when you become a Captain,' Jaeger smiled warmly. 'You don't leave a member of your crew behind.'

'You go down with the ship, too,' Zoey said as she and Bill ran to Graham's aid. Jaeger looked to the two fondly.

'It's a good thing I'm not a Captain anymore,' he joked as the three lifted a heavy beam off Graham and pulled another one off his legs. They helped him to his feet and supported him as they searched for another way out.

Outside, half of the carrier was now underwater. There was a loud snap of metal and the higher decks began to collapse. They crashed down and obliterated the lower decks instantly. The vessel sank faster. Just managing to get outside before the carrier crashed down, the four ran along the deck. The closest aircraft was a helicopter. Bill and Jaeger jumped into the cockpit while Zoey pulled Graham in the back. She slammed the door shut and took a deep breath.

'Bill, come on,' she said nervously. Water seeped over the wheels as the rotors began to turn. 'Bill, come on…' she said again, the water rising higher. It began seeping through the lower cracks of the door. The helicopter began to slide. 'Bill, come on!' The roar of the helicopter engine was heard, but from elsewhere.

'Look!' Graham called. Just outside, Francis' helicopter was hovering, Francis leaning out holding a hand out.

'Abandon… chopper!' Jaeger instructed, jumping out with the others. Through the water, Zoey helped Graham into the helicopter. Francis then puller her up, followed by Bill and then the Admiral.

'Can we go now?' the pilot asked.

'Get us the hell out of here!' the Admiral screamed. The helicopter banked and flew away from the stricken aircraft carrier as it slowly sank under the sea.

In the helicopter, Ensign Graham was attended to by the medic, who reported that his condition wasn't critical. Zoey held Louis' hand tenderly as he lay on the stretcher, smiling up at her. Francis hugged Bill, saying how glad he was that he survived. Admiral Jaeger looked out of the cockpit and then spoke to the pilot.

'Where can we go now?' he asked him. The pilot sighed.

'If we're lucky, we could make it to one of the rescue vessels that were a few days away by boat. Flying will take up less time. This chopper has a full tank of gas so… I'm optimistic.'

'Excellent,' Jaeger smiled. He looked back at everyone else.

'What are we gonna do about this Director guy?' Zoey asked.

'He seemed to know a lot more about this than he was letting on,' said Francis.

'Avery Ingram will get what he has coming to him,' said Jaeger. 'You can't go sinking aircraft carriers and get away with it.'

'Or unleash a zombie apocalypse,' Francis added.

'You don't know that,' said Bill.

'Who cares?' said Louis. 'All I know is that Francis didn't call them vampires.' Zoey chuckled. 'Damn, Bill, Zoey, when we get back to civilization, I'm gonna give you two jobs.' Zoey smiled. 'And Francis, I'm gonna teach you how to read!'

'And spot a vampire,' Bill joked.

The helicopter flew off into the distance, finally taking the four survivors and some friends they met along the way, off to safety. In the near future, Avery Ingram would look back on these events with vengeful thoughts in his head. Despite all best efforts, the survivors would live knowing that the Director had lost, a thought that he found almost unbearable…

* * *

_A/N: After twelve instalments, I think I should say thank you very much for reading and reviewing. I appreciate every single review and hope that you'll submit more, they make me very happy! During the past twelve installments, I tried experimenting with different styles of writing and tried to mix things up in a somewhat original story. If you liked it, please let me know! I'd love to know what you thought was good and what wasn't so good. If you'd like to see more of the adventures of Bill, Zoey, Francis and Louis, then keep reading. I may update some more in the near future. Thank you very much for reading and I hope to see some lovely reviews and maybe, I hope to see you on Left 4 Dead! If you want to take on those vampire scum together; my Gamertag is MiniSmitte so now you can. Thanks once again. Andy out. xxx_


	13. Preview

_Note: The survivors are back for six more installments of infected disaster. Please read and review so I know what you think, I really apprieciate it. This is a sequel to my first Left 4 Dead story; At All Costs, I suggest you visit my profile and read that if you have not done so already. Now get reading and I hope you enjoy! - Andy_

The Director's Directive

The London Eye was barley visible through the thickness of the morning fog. Big Ben began to chime, alerting the public that it was nine o'clock. On the main high street, there was a lot of hustle and bustle. Cars drove through the city while pedestrians walked along the path, each acting as they normally would. Above the street in one of the apartments overlooking London, two people lay in bed with the large bedroom window open. Some of the covers had blown off in the breeze, revealing the bare back of a woman. Zoey shuffled in bed and pulled the covers back over, relishing in the warmth. Her partner turned over and put a comforting arm over her.

'You stole the covers,' Graham said light-heartedly. 'Again.' Zoey grinned cheekily.

'They're mine now,' she giggled. Graham pulled them off her and Zoey gave a mock scream. She jumped on top of him to try and pull them back. Graham's grip was tight and Zoey soon gave up, leaning close to his face and kissing him passionately.

'You have too much energy in the morning,' Graham joked.

'You were in the Navy!' Zoey laughed. 'You should have more energy. To fight pirates… and stuff.' Graham smiled and looked to the clock. He sighed.

'Time to get up,' he said grudgingly. He stepped out of bed while Zoey remained still, cocooning herself in the blankets.

'Close the window!' she insisted. 'It nearly kept me up all night.'

'I think that was something else,' Graham grinned cheekily at her as he closed the windows. 'I'm taking a shower… care to join me?'

'You always ask me that,' Zoey rolled her eyes. 'Step away from the window, people in the other building can see your ass!' Graham stepped toward the bathroom and winked at her. Zoey sighed and went to join him.

*

Away from London, in a quaint little village called Farnham, Bill was out on a morning stroll. Gone were the old army fatigues and green beret, in their place were beige trousers with a white shirt and a thin beige jacket. He still had a cigarette in his mouth, gladly puffing away as he walked down the path. In the large park, Bill took a seat by a trickling stream. Behind him, late students were running to school while parents with their young children went to play in the nearby park. Bill sighed, enjoying every moment of peace.

'How's it going?' Francis asked, suddenly arriving and spoiling his mood. Bill muttered something under his breath as Francis sat down, still wearing his favourite leather vest. Bill turned to him, as a parent would turn to their disruptive child.

'Have you been out all night drinking?' he asked.

'Hell yeah,' Francis beamed. 'I love the British; they really know how to get wasted!'

'We've been here for, what? Six months?' Bill asked rhetorically. 'Where are you getting this money from?'

'They give out free drinks if you're one of the survivors from America,' Francis explained. 'There's not that many people who overcame the zombie apocalypse to make it to safety and civilization, with stories to tell and beer to drink!'

'I'm so glad you're profiting from this,' Bill shook his head. He stood up.

'Where are you going?' Francis asked.

'Back home,' Bill muttered. 'It's bad enough they forced me to live with you. I can hardly handle seeing you during the day, let alone the start of it.' Bill set off back home. Francis sprawled out on the bench and looked up at the sky. The weather from London was slowly making its way down south, obscuring the sky. Francis sighed and closed his eyes.

*

Louis stepped out of his office and was immediately followed by his assistant.

'Lord Baber contacted you again,' he told him. 'He thinks that we need to increase the deadline by about three weeks.'

'We'll do it by two and see how things go,' Louis told him, looking through some papers. They walked through a crowded office floor, bustling with activity. They stopped in front of the elevator and Louis pushed the call button. 'Did Karen ring back about Reed Aviation?' he asked.

'Yeah,' his assistant said with a tone of disappointment. 'Unfortunately flights are still grounded worldwide. The UN decided to wait a little while longer before allowing airports to reopen.'

'Fair enough,' Louis said, the doors opening. 'Keep an eye on the press office. I want to know as soon as we can get up in the air again.'

'The Americas will be a no-fly zone,' his assistant pointed out. 'Various Naval forces from around the world have only just agreed on a plan to repopulate the west. It's going to take decades, most likely, for it to be safe to go there again.' Louis pushed the button to send them to the car park and folded his arms.

'I can wait,' he said sighing. 'God, ten past nine and I'm already tired.'

'I can postpone some meetings for you if you'd like,' his assistant suggested. The doors opened and Louis shook his head, stepping outside. They started walking toward Louis' car, a black BMW 3 series. The paint shimmered in the light. Louis suddenly got a phone call.

'It's Karen,' he told his assistant. 'Load the car and get it started and I'll join you in just a second.' His assistant walked over to the car as Louis sighed and answered the phone.

'Hey Karen,' she said, feigning a cheerful telephone voice. 'Please tell me you've got good news.'

'I'm afraid not,' Karen said. 'You may want to sit down for this,' Louis grimaced and rubbed his face with his palm.

'Let me just get into my car,' he moaned. As he stepped over, his assistant loaded the vehicle and opened the driver's seat for him. Louis mouthed to him, saying he should drive, stepping into the passenger's side. His assistant drove out of the car park and went down the road. 'What's the damage?' he asked her.

'I'll be blunt,' Karen said.

'I wouldn't have it any other way…' Louis sighed.

'There is no way in hell you're getting back,' she reported. Louis groaned. 'What you have to understand is that Canada, and North & South America are still potentially infectious. They plan to wait at least a year so they can…' Louis interrupted her.

'A year?' he said loudly. 'Christ, what good will that accomplish?'

'I'm sorry,' Karen insisted. 'But there's nothing we can do. I know you had your heart set on settling the contract to help rebuild but it's just not going to happen.' There as an uncomfortable pause. 'Just let it go, alright?' Karen said. 'I'll give you a call later to…' Louis hung up and threw the phone into the back seat. He sighed dejectedly and rested his head in his hands.

'Not good news?' his assistant asked. Louis shook his head

'They don't trust Stasys with the contract,' he told him. He shook his head. 'Three months… three months wasted!' He smashed his fist on the dashboard.

'We're not just going to give up, are we?'

'We have to,' Louis muttered. 'There's no way we're going to receive any more funding for this… we'll be reassigned.'

'I'm sorry,' his assistant said.

'It's not your fault,' Louis shook his head. 'We both did the best we good. It's just the government screwing us over.' His assistant signalled to turn left but Louis shook his head. 'I'm cancelling the meeting,' he said. 'Let's go to the pub. I think we're both going to need a drink.' His assistant chuckled and turned right instead.

As the car turned down the road, it went down a few hundred yards when the back window suddenly exploded. Louis' assistant suddenly lurched and slumped at the wheel. The car began to spin out of control and veered off the road. The car mounted the pavement and drove into a letterbox, causing it to flip onto two wheels and crash through a shop window, eventually falling to the roof when it came to a stop. Inside, Louis was hanging upside down. He unlocked his seatbelt and fell to the roof. He looked over to his assistant and gasped when he saw the bullet hole in his head. Louis kicked the door open and crawled out of the vehicle. He managed to get to his feet and saw the damage. He put his hand on his head and was breathing heavily. Various witnesses were congregating around the damaged area. Louis leant against a wall and slid down to the ground.

*

Bill entered the shared apartment. By the door were two pairs of shoes.

'You guys up?' Bill called out, locking the door and tossing the keys and his phone to the side. He stepped through the rather bare apartment into the kitchen. He looked around. There were two cereal bowls on the central table. Bill rolled his eyes at the sight of his flatmates' disregard for cleaning and lifted one of them up. It was still half full of breakfast cereal. He looked suspiciously at it and lifted the other bowl. It was also full, but the milk had a slight pinkish tint to it. There came a faint noise from upstairs. 'Hello?' Bill asked cautiously.

He moved back into the hallway and looked up the stairs. Bill was about to start heading up when he saw something move in the kitchen. A figure emerged from a corner with a gun. From up the stairs, another figure emerged, weapon aimed for him. Bill threw one of the bowls up the stairs, knocking the weapon aside. He threw the other at the person in the kitchen. Bill darted upstairs and grabbed the attacker's weapon before it could be used. The other person started running up, firing at him. The gun made no noise. Bill dived through the hallway, the bullets hitting the wall and the person behind him. He ran inside one of the bedrooms and gasped as he saw the corpse of one of his flatmates slumped on the floor, a bullet hole in his head. Bill shot the glass window and jumped out as the door behind him burst open. As he landed, he rolled along the ground and started firing up at the window, preventing the attacker from shooting at him. Bill's gun clicked empty as he jumped over the dividing fence.

Emerging out on the street, Bill looked around desperately. He checked his pockets, looking for his phone. He sighed and ran away as fast as he could.

*

In the park, Francis' eyes bolted open as the phone in his pocket started to ring. He rubbed his face and yawned as he looked at the screen. When he registered what was said, his eyes suddenly became more alert and he answered the call.

'Louis…' he said, surprised. 'It's… been a while…'

'Francis,' Louis said, gasping in pain. 'Sorry to just call you out of the blue like this.'

'Don't worry about it,' Francis interrupted. 'It's good to talk to you again. How've you been?'

'Someone just tried to kill me!' Francis stood up soberly. He took in the information Louis had given him but wasn't sure how to react. 'You still there?' he asked.

'Yeah,' Francis muttered. 'Yeah… God, what happened? Are you alright?'

'I'm fine,' Louis said, holding in a cry of pain as a paramedic sterilised a gash on his arm. 'We were driving down the street when my driver… when Elliott was shot. By a sniper rifle the cops say.'

'Jesus…' Francis sat back down, holding his head.

'I was supposed to be driving…' Louis continued. 'If I hadn't then I'd… I'd…'

'Hey man,' Francis cut in. 'Don't think like that.'

'I was supposed to be driving,' Louis repeated. 'That means that I was supposed to be shot.' Francis fell quiet. Louis ushered the paramedic away. 'Look, has anything like this happened to you?'

'Why?' Francis asked apprehensively.

'Well I have no idea why someone would want to take me out,' Louis said. A policeman approached him, respectfully waiting for him to finish his phone call. 'Look I gotta go, but keep an eye out. If someone's coming after me they might be coming after you, too.'

'Coming after survivors?' Francis leant forward. 'Why?'

'I don't know…' Louis sighed. 'Anyway I have to go. I'll call you soon.' Louis put the phone away and apologised to the policeman for making him wait. Francis stared at the phone and sighed. He thought about what Louis had said.

'Why would someone want to kill us?' he muttered to himself.

*

Avery Ingram was stood in front of the large glass wall. The view was beautiful, the bright lights from the city danced inside the dark office he was stood in. He stood with his legs together and his hands resting on an elegant looking cane. The office door opened and the lights were turned on. A balding Asian man in a smart pinstripe suit stepped inside and was surprised at Avery's presence.

'What are you doing here, Director?' the man asked in Chinese.

'Just here to see the sights…' the Director softly replied in the same dialect, talking as fluently as he spoke English. He remained staring out the window, his fingers tapping the handle of the cane.

'A man of your character does not come to Beijing to see the sights,' the man said, closing the door behind him. 'What do you want?' The Director turned around, his eyes narrowing as he looked at the man.

'How long have we been friends, Zan?' he asked. The man let out a mock laugh.

'Is that how you think of us?' he retorted sarcastically. The Director shook his head slightly.

'Very well… how long have we been… acquaintances?'

'Just acquaintances?' Zan said mockingly. 'After ten years I'd think we'd be colleagues at least.' He paused as the Director looked back out of the window. 'Or maybe we're enemies?'

'I consider my enemies to be people who actively work against me,' the Director said defiantly. 'I consider a colleague to be someone who works with me.' The Director turned to Zan, giving him a knowing glare. 'You happen to fit both categories nicely.'

Zan stepped back, holding up his hands.

'What are you talking about?' he asked. The Director turned and faced him.

'They say to keep your friends close and your enemies' closer…' he said quietly. 'A saying I never really understood or particularly agree with.'

'And why's that?' Zan asked nervously.

'You know where you stand with your enemies… but your friends! My word, if you let them get close to you, it gives them an opportunity to go behind your back.' Zan shuffled apprehensively.

'What's your point?' he asked. 'You consider me a friend?'

'I would never be so presumptuous…' the Director said sinisterly. 'To be clear I consider you… worthless.' The Director stepped away from the window and over to Zan, who promptly got out of his way. He moved with a slight limp, supporting his weight on the cane.

'When CEDA was disbanded,' the Director said softly, 'it was your job to make sure that it was impossible for any of us to be traced. You failed us, Zan.'

'Now you listen to me,' Zan said aggressively. 'I did my best. I was unprepared for the extent of their investigations!'

'You were unprepared!' the Director yelled, starling Zan. 'Everyone else was prepared. I was prepared, I was leading this operation. I put my trust and faith in you and you…' The Director paused, swallowing his anger. 'You made a fool out of me!'

'You made a fool out of yourself when you lost that aircraft carrier because of four civilians!' Zan snapped back. The Director swung his cane through the air and hit him around the face. Zan fell to the ground, a large gash on his cheek. The Director turned and went for the door. He opened it and waited in the doorway. 'Hurts, doesn't it?' Zan said, standing up with his hand to his face. 'You can pass the blame onto others, but deep down you know that it's fault everything is getting out of hand because you can't cope with it and that…' Zan paused. 'That's the thing that's eating you up inside… that's what's hurting you the most.'

'I may be hurting,' the Director whispered, turning to look at him. 'However unlike you, I have the means to fix my problems. You're nothing. You're just pathetic…' He took a breath and looked back out of the door. 'Besides, my pain is nothing compared to what you're about to feel.' The Director stepped outside and two muscular men in suits took his place. They dragged him out of the office and down the corridor. The Director closed his eyes as he heard him be taken away, taking a deep breath. He opened his eyes with a smile on his face.

'Now onto those other four…' he whispered to himself.

*

Francis put the phone in his pocket and looked at the stream ahead. The sky was now covered with grey clouds, not a single patch of blue could be seen. He shivered slightly and decided to get up and go back home. As he started walking, the engine of a parked van that was on the road in the distance kicked into life. The driver spoke into a radio, talking to someone fifty yards from Francis. This person followed him as the van crept around the park. It was heading for the gate that Francis was walking to.

Francis, oblivious to anything, got closer to the road. The man following him was now about thirty yards from him, walking at a much faster pace than he was. Francis stepped beyond the gate and waited to cross the road. The van came closer but was blocked by a slow moving bus suddenly pulling out in front of it. Francis hastily crossed the road and continued walking home. The man following him picked up his pace to one of a light jog. The van also sped up after it managed to overtake the bus. As Francis walked down the street the two people following him got even closer. The van pulled up next to him and matched his speed of walking. Francis noticed it and gave the driver a confused look. He then looked behind and saw the man that was following him. Suddenly realising what was going, Francis stepped back.

'Oh God…' he muttered to himself.

'Francis!' Bill cried, emerging from a corner. Francis turned and ran for him. The van accelerated suddenly as he tried to run. Being chased, Francis and Bill ran off the street into a car park. Running in between the vehicles, they made some distance between themselves and the van. The driver stepped out, chasing Bill and Francis on foot with the other man. Behind the car park, a bridge ran over the stream that would run through the park. 'This way,' Bill instructed, taking Francis over the bridge.

When the other two arrived, one of them ran over the bridge while the other went in another direction. Dashing past various buildings he looked desperately for Bill and Francis. In the distance was a large village hall. He ran inside and looked around the reception.

'I guess your looking for an old guy and a biker?' the receptionist asked.

'Where did they go?' he asked.

'They stormed in and ran down there,' he nodded. 'You the police?' The man shot the receptionist and made his way down the hall.

'Not exactly.'

Moving down the hallway, the man searched for the two. He looked down other corridors and through doors. He made his way to a dead end, stopping and looking around. There was one door that stood ajar. He ran for it and pushed it open. Francis kicked the door, smashing it into the pursuer. Bill emerged from another room and retrieved his weapon. In the heat of the moment, Francis was able to restrain him and keep him secure. Bill held the weapon at the attacker.

'What are you doing?' he asked him. The attacker was silent. 'You came to the house and killed our housemates, why?' Francis winced at this news. He then looked surprised.

'Did you attack Louis?' he asked him. It was Bill's turn to look surprised.

'It looks like you're after the survivors… why?' he asked. The man finally spoke.

'We're just after you four,' he spat. 'The Director wants you all dead… except for you…' he looked to Francis. Bill punched the man in the head, knocking him out.

'We need to get out of here,' he said. 'And call Zoey… She's in danger.'

*

Zoey and Graham were sat at the table, eating scrambled eggs on toast. Graham had already finished his breakfast and was reading the newspaper. He was dressed in formal Naval attire. The news was on the television talking about a highly publicised trail.

'You're not taking the car, are you?' Zoey asked.

'No, why?'

'I'm gonna drive to Farnham,' she said. 'I hate getting the train.' Graham put the paper down.

'Do you even have a licence?' he asked rhetorically. Zoey grinned in response. 'Well I know nothing about your crazy plans, you got that? Anyway I'd better be going. I don't want to miss my train.'

'Good luck, today,' Zoey said warmly, standing up and kissing him. 'Tell Richard I said hello.' Graham nodded and kissed her before leaving, giving her a cheeky wink.

'Tell Bill and Francis I said hi, too,' he smiled, closing the door. Zoey looked back at the television, smiling to herself. She hurried to finish her meal so that she could set off.

*

Bill and Francis made it back to their shared apartment. Francis took the car keys and sighed.

'I'll drive,' he said. There was a bang front the front door. Bill held his weapon that he stole from the attacker up at a middle aged woman, holding her arms up.

'Michelle!' Francis said to his and Bill's housemate.

'I thought you were dead…' Bill said, surprised.

'No,' she gasped. 'Some men came inside; looking for you they… they killed Anthony!'

'How did you get out?' Bill asked.

'Tony tried to fend them off… I visited the police station but there were some shifty people in there so I ran. I came back here to get some clothes and get the hell out of here.'

'Don't get the clothes,' Francis said. 'We'll just get out of here.'

'Where can we go?' Michelle asked.

'London,' Bill said. 'Zoey's there.'

'Let's go,' Michelle took the keys and stepped outside. Gunshots pierced the air and Bill dived by the car, Francis jumping back inside the house. The windows shattered as bullets shot through them. Bill peered over to see where the shooters were. 'Where did you get that?' she asked.

'Found it in some trash,' Bill cried. 'Stay here.' Bill jumped from his cover to another car in the street. He jumped from the car to another vehicle, attempting to get around the attackers. He saw the van that had had been following Francis, a man standing by it, shooting at him. There was another shooter, but he couldn't see where he was.

Francis, in the hallway, heard something come from the kitchen. The other attacker was in there and attempted to shoot him. Francis dived for him, dodging the bullets and grabbed the weapon. The weapon fired through the window and hit the door near Michelle. She put the key in the lock and opened the door. Francis pinned the attacker down and punched him in the face, knocking him out. When he stood up, he took his weapon and moved to help Bill. Before he could leave the room, the windows exploded and Francis was knocked down when the car Michelle was in suddenly exploded. The attacker by the van panicked and got inside his vehicle, driving off as fast as he could. Bill looked at the wreckage of the car and covered his mouth. Francis staggered outside and dropped his gun when he saw the corpse inside the car.

'We need to call Zoey,' Bill said. 'Now!'

*

The Director was sat in his office overlooking the river Thames. His phone began to ring. He promptly answered it.

'Yes?' he answered.

'I'm sorry, Director Ingram,' said the man who had just driven away from Bill and Francis. 'They're still alive.' The Director sighed.

'At least tell me you picked up the target,' he asked. There was no response. 'Damn it, Martin, don't fail me… you know how I feel about people who fail me.'

'A lot of disturbance has been caused,' Martin explained. 'I'm going to lay low for a while. The others are dead so I'll need back up.'

'You're not going to get any!' the Director yelled. 'I'm on a tight schedule and I can't let you mess it all up!'

'I'm sorry!' Martin insisted.

'Just fix it,' the Director spat, slamming the phone down. His hands shook with rage. The phone rang again and he roared with anger, throwing it to the wall. A woman stepped inside his office looking worried.

'Director,' she said reluctantly. The man screamed at her.

'Why am I destined to be surrounded by incompetence?' he cried. He looked at her and blinked. 'What to you want, Liz?'

'Just to tell you,' she stuttered, 'that the teams are in Luton ready to deploy the weapon…' The Director sighed and composed himself.

'At least there's some good news…' he muttered. 'Tell them to use it.' Liz left and the Director sat down. He turned his chair and looked out of the window. 'It's all going to go to plan…' he muttered. 'It has to.'

*

At Luton airport, an easyJet plane stopped on the tarmac. Stairs were placed under the door as the ground crew waited for the passengers to depart. All doors on the aircraft burst open and people started running out. Confused, the ground staff were unprepared when they were mobbed by the passengers. One man tried to run from the mob but something wrapped around his torso and pulled him back into the mob. From the door, someone jumped out and seemingly flew over the mob and through the glass windows, screaming. Someone morbidly obese broke through a door and made his way into the terminal. A few people, who were confused, looked at him suspiciously where he suddenly vomited over them.

Another plane landed and another mob burst out and added to the havoc. A third plane was preparing to land but flew in the direction of the air traffic control tower. The wing sliced through the upper level and the plane smashed into the terminal. Through all the flames and wreckage people were screaming. Someone staggered outside of the main doors. The infected had landed.

*

Zoey stepped out of the apartment and walked over to the car park. There was a red Mazda in the distance, which she was heading for. In the distance, there was someone sat in a silver Audi. His phone rang.

'Yes, Director?'

'Make sure she dies, Sam,' the Director insisted. 'We've had problems with the others.'

'She's only a woman, don't worry,' he said. Zoey was closer to the car when he own phone started to ring. She clutched her keys as she answered the phone.

'Hey, Francis,' she said cheerily. 'You're not cancelling on me are you?'

'Zoey where are you?' he asked hurriedly.

'I'm just about to get in my car,' she said a few feet from her vehicle. 'Why?'

'Someone put a bomb in mine!' Zoey stopped a few feet from the car.

'What?'

'Someone's tried to kill me and Bill,' Francis explained. 'Louis, too.'

'Oh God, are you…?'

'We're all fine but there's someone out there after all of us, you need to get to the cops or something.' Zoey put her hand on her head. In the van, Sam was watching her anxiously. He took a pistol.

'What do I do?' she asked.

'Just get out of there, call the police and don't answer the door to anyone.' Zoey looked around and saw Sam in the van staring at her. He knew that she knew what was happening. He stepped out of his vehicle and started running toward her.

'I gotta go!' she yelled into the phone, hanging up and running away. Sam sprinted after her, running a lot faster than she was.

Zoey ran around a corner and pushed the elevator call button. She looked around the corner and dodged a bullet. Sam got closer to the corner. Zoey considered running for the stairs that were to the left, but thought that he would be able to catch up easily. The elevator doors opened. Sam darted around the corner fast enough to see the doors close. He hammered on the call button and to his surprise they opened. Inside Zoey was nowhere to be found. She emerged from the stairwell and kicked him inside, pushing the button for the top floor. Sam turned as the doors closed and the compartment started going up. Zoey, knowing she had little time ran down the stairs and onto the street. Moving as fast as she could, she ran past an electronics shop where the televisions in the window displayed a news report. The banner headline was "Crisis at Luton – Virus Outbreak Suspected".


	14. The Director's Decision

14. The Director's Decision

The surrounding areas of Luton airport were frantic with activity. Quarantine fences had already been erected and the army and police were positioned at all entry points. Near the main terminal, news vans had parked and reporters were already talking their cameras while various military and security personnel were rushing around. At a checkpoint, a vehicle pulled up. The person inside showed their ID to the soldier and was let through, driving up to the terminal. The car parked short of the ruckus and a woman in a smart white blouse accompanied with a black suit jacket and black trousers stepped out, walking toward the commotion. She had blonde hair and bright green eyes. Her ID badge hung on her belt. It read "Special Agent Anna Shepherd – Bioterrorism Counter Force".

Anna approached the nearest solider and asked him where the person in charge was. She spoke with a smooth English accent. Anna went in the direction she was pointed to and approached a tall, weary looking man. He was barking orders at people in front of him and on the phone simultaneously. Anna stepped in front of him and waited for him to get off the phone.

'I'll call you back,' he said snappily. 'Who the hell are you?'

'Special Agent Anna Shepherd,' Anna introduced herself, holding out a hand. 'Bioterrorism Counter Force.'

'I was under the impression the BCF were supposed to prevent things like this from happening!' the man snapped, ignoring her hand. 'Dennis Roth. Why are you here, Shepherd?'

'My boss told me to come down and… oversee what's happening.'

'The hell you are!' Dennis protested. 'I'm running this show and I say what's happening!'

Gunfire sounded as a few infected attempted to jump over the quarantine fences. The news reporters suddenly jumped into action, eager to get a view of what was going on.

'I don't think they need to see this,' Anna thought aloud. Dennis sighed.

'Get all nonessentials out of here!' he ordered. Some reporters protested.

'You can't do this!' one of them cried.

'Have you heard of freedom of the press?' another yelled.

'Have you heard that I don't give a damn?' Dennis retorted. He looked back at Anna who stood defiantly in front of him with her arms folded. Dennis sighed and nodded at her.

'What's the situation?' she asked.

'Three easyJet planes were involved,' he explained. 'One from Belfast and another from Glasgow landed, releasing infected passengers. A third from Cyprus crashed into the ATC tower before destroying the north side of the terminal. This one too released infected passengers.'

'Is it the same infection that destroyed the Americas and Canada?' Anna asked.

'It appears so,' Dennis replied.

'I take it you've grounded all domestic flights?'

'Of course.'

'We should investigate easyJet,' Anna suggested. 'Since the terrorists used easyJet planes, it's not crazy think that someone in the company might be involved.'

'I doubt that they would be involved,' Dennis dismissed. 'I'll have someone look into it, though.'

'How did they keep a plane full of infected secure?' Anna thought aloud. Dennis looked at the wreckage of one of the planes.

'One of them didn't…' he muttered. 'We're not going to have a chance to find out, though.' Anna looked to him, slightly surprised.

'Why?' she asked.

'There are various different mutations,' Dennis said. 'If one of the larger, stronger, infected breaks out it will open the floodgates for the rest of those bastards to leak into the rest of the country. We've managed to contain it here at the airport so we're going to destroy the airport.'

'You're going to bomb it?' Anna gasped. Dennis nodded. 'What about the flight recorders or black boxes? They must have information that we could use. If you drop a bomb on them; it will destroy all evidence!'

'I know, I don't like it either but we need to contain this.'

'You're not going to send someone in to try and retrieve it?' Anna asked.

'You've known me for a good thirty seconds, Shepherd,' Dennis said, 'so I'm going to have explain this to you: My family were in Canada when the infection broke out six months ago. I refuse to let anyone else suffer the same fate that they did. Do you understand?' Anna looked surprised. 'Bombers have already been launched. This entire area will be ground zero in less than ten minutes.' Anna looked over in the distance. The terminal seemed so close and no one was going to try and preserve any evidence. Dennis walked away, barking more orders. He called for people to prepare to fall back when the bombers get close. Anna ran toward one of the makeshift tents and spoke to the man inside, wearing a biohazard suit.

'Agent Shepherd,' she smiled politely. 'I need your clothes.'

Dennis was walking by the quarantine fence when he was ambushed by reporters.

'Excuse me, sir,' the reporter asked. 'Can you tell us what the plan of action for the airport is?'

'You shouldn't be here!' Dennis insisted. 'All I'm going to say is that the situation is under control, now please. You must get back to a safe distance.'

'Sir, is it true that you're bombing the airport?'

'We need to contain this infection and… who the hell are you, anyway?'

'Karen Redgrave,' the reported said, 'Channel Five.' Before Dennis could say anything else, Karen jumped into further questioning. 'So you're not going to look for any survivors?'

'We need to act promptly while we have the situation under control,' Dennis said.

'So you're saying that you could loose control of this situation at any point?'

'Listen to me, Karen,' Dennis stepped forward defiantly. 'There is no chance that this situation can escalate further. Everything is under complete control.'

A car drove through the quarantine fence behind where Dennis was talking, in clear view of the cameras. Dennis winced as he heard the crash. The car headed straight for the airport terminal. Inside, Anna was dressed in a biohazard suit, focusing intently on the terminal. A pistol lay on the passenger seat. Ahead was a set of cracked glass doors. Without hesitation, Anna drove her car straight through and skidded to a halt. She grabbed the pistol and stepped outside, the tail of the crashed plane scattered in front of her. There were infected running toward her. Anna locked her vehicle and gave it a sharp kick. The alarm started to wail.

As infected ran for her, Anna managed to push her way through them, shooting any that attempted to bite or scratch at her. With the infected distracted, Anna pulled herself toward the tail of the plane. She searched desperately for the black box in the rubble. She gasped in delight when she saw the bright orange device poking out in some rubble. She pulled it out and held it tight. Anna suddenly realised that noise of the car alarm had stopped.

She turned and saw her car on its roof and the infected around it on the ground, their bodies contorted and bones broken. The reason was clear; a tank was standing over them, taking out its anger on them. The beast suddenly noticed Anna, holding the bright orange box. It made a sudden charge for her, roaring in anger. Anna, in turn, ran for it. As they got close to each other, she slid along the ground in between its legs. Anna jumped to her feet while still sliding and ran to her car. Using the black box as hammer, she hit the fuel line under her car, causing petrol to leak. She ran away as quickly as she could. When the tank came up to the car, it punched it away with ease. However, the force caused the petrol to ignite and the entire vehicle exploded, sending the flaming tank flying a few feet. However it got back up and began storming for Anna once again. It was even angrier.

Anna ran around the tank and headed for the departure gates. She pushed her way past the infected and made her way to the nearest boarding gate. Running through the gate and onto the tarmac, she saw a parked plane with a ladder leading up to it. As she ran for it, the tank crashed through the building behind, sending debris everywhere. She ran to the stairs, disengaging the ground locks. Anna ran up and kicked the stairs away as she got inside the plane. She ran to the cockpit and found the controls that she needed. As she disengaged the safety devices, the tank ran underneath the plane and smashed it with its massive fists. Before it could do any real damage, Anna retracted the landing gears and the entire plane came crashing down on the beast, crushing it. Sighing, Anna stepped outside and looked up at the sky. She immediately began running. The quarantined area had been cleared and the reporters and security team had retreated to a safer distance. In the air, two miles away, three aircraft bombers approached Luton. Their payload doors opened, ready to drop the bombs. Anna heard the bombers in the distance and started running a lot faster.

Dennis yelled hollow orders at the reporters to stop filming, who completely ignored him. Getting the soldiers to usher everyone back, he turned to the airport, looking apprehensively for anyone. The bombers could now be seen approaching. Their payload was dropped and explosives fell to the airport. Anna ran as fast as she could, still clutching the black box securely. She got further from the airport but the bombs falling were widespread.

'Sir,' a soldier handed Dennis some binoculars and pointed him in the direction of where to look. Dennis looked through them and saw Anna heading for them. The bombs suddenly impacted the airport and she was knocked over in the blast. Luton airport went up in a spectacular fireball, destroying everything inside, all traces of infection and all potential evidence of what happened… with exception of the black box, which Anna was hunched over. She rolled over and surveyed the destruction. She stood up and headed back for the security perimeter.

'I don't… believe it,' Dennis said, through uncontrollable anger. As Anna neared the camp, she removed the biohazard suit. Stepping in front of them all, she handed Dennis the black box.

'From me to you,' she said.

'What the hell was that?' Dennis spat. 'I can't believe… I have… what the hell were you doing?'

'My job,' Anna said, with a slight lack of breath. 'Have that analysed and we can-'

'Shepherd, you do not give orders!' Dennis yelled.

'Oh, alright,' Anna said sarcastically. 'I'll just wait until you get off your high horse.' Dennis shook his head dismissively. 'I could always go back into the city and have this analysed,' Anna said.

'Then why don't you?' Dennis yelled.

'Because you're in charge,' Anna replied calmly. Dennis sighed and took the box from Anna.

*

Zoey looked around the hallway nervously. She walked quickly past the apartment doors on either side of her. Zoey came up to apartment number 4; she knocked on the wood a couple of times and waited. After a few moments the door unlocked and swung open.

'I'm sorry to come to you unannounced,' Zoey said. 'But I've nowhere else to go.' Stood before her in the doorway, Admiral Richard Jaeger had a mixture of confusion and surprise on his face.

Inside the apartment, Zoey was sat on the couch. Jaeger stepped inside with a pot of tea. He poured Zoey a cup and she took it gratefully.

'This is a nice place,' Zoey said in a weak attempt to make small talk. Jaeger poured himself a cup of tea and lifted it to his mouth.

'What happened?' he asked. Zoey sighed.

'Bill and Francis were attacked,' she explained. 'So was Louis. From what he said, it sounds like assassins or something. They even put a bomb in his car… and mine. I was chased through the street by someone, too. I didn't know where to go and Graham's phone's off because he's at his meeting so… I just ran here.' Jaeger nodded in understanding. Zoey's phone suddenly started to ring, causing her to jump. When she saw who was calling, she answered quickly.

'Francis!' she exclaimed. 'Where are you?'

'We're at the train station,' Francis told her. 'Bill and I will be in London in about an hour and a half…'

'Good,' she sighed, relieved. 'That's good… I'll meet you at Waterloo when your train arrives.'

'You're okay then?' Francis asked.

'Yeah,' Zoey sighed. 'I'm in the Admiral's house, so he'll keep me safe.'

Sat at his desk, the Director stared at the screen of his laptop. He grinned as he saw Zoey's phone conversation transcribed before him.

'I knew she'd run to Jaeger,' the Director chuckled to Liz who was stood by his desk. 'Call Martin and Sam. Have Martin intercept the two on the train but make sure he keeps Francis alive.' Liz nodded. 'Have Sam return here. I've got a plan for London Waterloo…'

'Shall I inform the lab to prepare another sample?' Liz asked.

'Yes…' said the Director. 'I have a feeling British Rail Services are about to be delayed. Permanently.'

*

Bill and Francis boarded the train.

'I think we should sit at the front,' Bill suggested. Francis, not bothering to ask why, agreed. As they made their way through the carriage, Martin boarded just as the doors shut. The train slowly began to move. They were trapped.

*

Louis was sat in the interrogation room looking at his reflection, tapping an empty cup of coffee with his finger. He sighed and checked the time, wondering how much longer he would have to wait. His question was answered when the door opened and a tall, thin woman in a smart suit stepped inside. She had thick red hair.

'Karen!' Louis exclaimed.

'I heard what had happened to you,' she said, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder as she moved to sit down. 'Are you alright?'

'A little shaken…' Louis said. 'How did you find out?'

'Well I tried ringing you,' Karen explained, 'and when I got no response I heard about the car crash on the news. I went to the police when I thought it was you in the car.'

'I appreciate your concern,' Louis smiled.

'I gave you some really bad news,' Karen sighed. 'I was afraid you… tried to commit suicide or something.'

'I survived the outbreak,' Louis joked. 'I'm not going to kill myself.'

'Glad to hear it,' Karen smiled. 'What the hell are you doing here?'

'They think I'll be safer here for the moment,' Louis explained. 'Since the person who tried to kill me is obviously a professional.'

'Why would someone want to kill you?' Karen asked.

'I don't know,' Louis shook his head. 'The only thing I can think of is something to do with business… well that's what I assumed anyway.'

'You don't think that anymore?'

'I spoke to some of my… friends,' Louis explained. 'Some of the people I escaped with… they were attacked too.' Karen sat back in her chair.

'Jesus…' she muttered. 'What are you going to do?'

'I don't know…' Louis said. 'When I get out of here I'll… lay low for a while, I guess.'

'You're free to stay with me,' Karen said, holding his hand tenderly. Louis took hers and smiled. Karen leant forward and kissed him. She stroked his cheek and smiled. 'Oh Louis…' she said softly.

Karen suddenly smashed his head onto the table. Lifting up the back of her shirt, she took out a knife and swung it to him. Louis pushed himself away as the blade hit the table. Before he could think, Karen swung her leg through the air, kicking him in the face. Louis staggered to one end of the table while Karen made her way around to the other. Louis pushed the table toward her, attempting to pin her against the wall. Karen kicked the table up and pushed Louis against the mirror. As Louis pushed back, he saw the blade still stuck in the table. He pulled it out and jumped free from the restrain. He held the knife up defensively.

'Karen,' he said. 'What are you doing?' Karen disarmed Louis effortlessly by lunging forward and tearing the blade from him. She moved to stab him but Louis avoided the attack by jumping to the side, grabbing her wrist and holding her in a body lock. Kicking the table away, Louis restrained her, looking in front of the mirror. 'Stop this!' he cried. Karen head butted Louis with the back of her head and while he was dazed, ran up the wall and mirror and launched herself behind him. She then kicked him forward with such force, Louis crashed through the two way glass, rolling to a stop. Karen jumped through and pinned him down. Louis grabbed the closest thing at hand, a shard of glass and swung it blindly.

Karen gasped, choking at something. Louis looked up and saw blood seeping through a gash in her neck. She grabbed the wound, dropping the knife. Karen fell to the ground, choking on blood. She then stopped twitching. Louis got to his feet, out of breath. He wasn't sure how he would be able to explain this.

Staggering out of the room, Louis looked around the police station. He was confused to see the corridors were deserted. He walked around, searching for somebody. He finally saw someone in police uniform.

'Excuse me,' he said. The man turned around, his face void of any sign of humanity. 'Oh no…' Louis gasped. The man suddenly broke out into a run, dashing toward him. Louis ran away as fast as he could. He followed the exit signs and saw the fire exit in front of him. He pushed the bar to get out, but was met with resistance. The door would not open. He was locked in. Louis turned around and saw the infected run toward him. He was suddenly attacked from the side by another infected. The one chasing him jumped him, too. Louis was on the ground, attempting to get them off him. One of them tried to bite Louis in the shoulder. He punched him away and got to his feet. As he tried to run away, more infected grabbed Louis and pulled him down to the ground. He let out a yell that no one could hear.

*

'Has the police station been contaminated?' the Director asked his assistant.

'Yes,' she replied. 'Karen has made sure that no one can get in or out as well.'

'Perfect,' the Director grinned. 'What about Sam?'

'Sam has just taken the sample and is heading for the standby position in Waterloo Station. He will release the infectious agent when Martin leaves the train with the package.'

'Good,' the Director said softly. 'Make sure Martin keeps him alive. We can't risk having him die… not yet, anyway.' The Director turned his chair and looked out of the window. He sighed, putting his hands together. Liz was still stood behind his desk. 'I have a good feeling about this,' the Director told her. 'A very good feeling indeed…'

'Sir?' Liz asked.

'Well before I was surrounded by those that defied incompetence,' the Director explained. 'But now… my word things are moving so much more… smoothly. Well except for Martin. Have Martin "retired" when he comes back with Francis.' Liz nodded and stepped out of the office. The Director sat back in his chair and sighed. 'Yes,' he said to himself. 'So much better…'

*

'Avery Ingram,' Anna said, sat in the electronics vehicle that was parked beyond the blast zone of Luton. Dennis stepped inside a look of distaste for Anna still on his face.

'What?' he asked. Anna turned to him, a slight smile on her face.

'You owe me an apology,' she teased.

'Like hell I do,' Dennis spat. 'Just tell me what you found.' Anna chuckled lightly and stood up.

'You know Avery Ingram?' she asked.

'The guy who used to run CEDA?' Dennis said. Anna nodded.

'From the looks of it, he was the one who caused the infection,' Anna suggested. Dennis' face fell.

'Come off it, Shepherd,' he dismissed. 'Someone else said that before and he was crucified for it.'

'Richard Jaeger did go about it the wrong way,' Anna nodded, 'but the evidence is clear here. There's two radio conversations between the pilots and "the Director". Afterward, they pilots discuss crashing the plane, as were Ingram's orders.'

'It's all very…' Dennis trailed off. 'Look, I think we're going to need more evidence than just a few flight recordings.'

'I agree…' Anna put her hand to her chin. 'What we need… is Richard Jaeger.'

'What?' Dennis asked.

'He was very vocal about what Ingram was suspected of doing,' she explained. 'After all the survivors were rescued from Canada and the Americas, he blamed Ingram for the sinking of the USS Abraham Lincoln. Jaeger started an intensive campaign to bring Ingram to justice. I'm sure he has information we could use!' Dennis was silent. Anna stepped out of the truck.

'Where are you going?' he asked.

'I'm going to see Jaeger. He lives somewhere in London. Can I borrow your car?' Dennis took out the keys and shook his head.

'I'll drive, come on,' he said. Anna looked surprised.

'What?' she asked. 'You seemed… unsure.'

'I still am,' Dennis said. 'I just don't want you driving my car.'


	15. The Battle at Waterloo

15.

Bill and Francis were sat in the front car of the train that was taking them to meet Zoey in London. The train had stopped on the last station before it took them to Waterloo. Bill was looking around the carriage; searching for any signs of trouble, while Francis stared out of the window.

'What are we gonna do when we get there?' he asked. Bill turned and shook his head.

'I don't know...' he said miserably. 'I just can't believe something like this is happening. I mean assassinations for Christ's sake! You'd think zombies would be enough excitement for one lifetime.'

'Maybe someone's out to get you?' Francis absentmindedly suggested. Bill gave him a sarcastic stare.

'Of course someone's out to get me. They put a bomb in a car!' Francis looked around uneasily.

'Keep your voice down!' he insisted. Bill shook his head in annoyance and crossed his arms. A few seats away; Martin was sat gripping his gun under his coat. He changed positions so that he could see Bill and Francis through a gap in the seat. The inter-carriage doors opened and a young woman stepped inside. Martin approached her, showed her a fake ID and she turned and hurried away. Martin then moved to seal the compartment doors. He was now alone with Bill and Francis.

Francis looked from the window and raised an eyebrow.

'This is pretty empty...' he commented.

'So?' Bill asked, disinterested.

'I would have thought a train to London would have all of its carriages packed...' Bill looked around and raised an eyebrow. It was unusual. Martin, hearing the conversation, decided to act promptly. He jumped out from behind his seat, his weapon pointed to Bill who didn't have time to respond.

'Drop it to the floor,' Martin ordered. Bill threw the stolen pistol to the floor and kicked it away. Martin took out a set of handcuffs and threw them to Francis. 'Put them on,' he instructed. As soon as Francis was secure, he would kill Bill. The train was slowing down now and Waterloo station could be seen from the windows. With Francis secure, Martin slowly began to squeeze the trigger.

'Where's mine?' Bill asked. With that, Martin pulled the trigger as Bill jumped from his seat, reaching for the gun and Francis kicked his foot into Martin's hand, ruining his shot. As Martin staggered, Bill grabbed his weapon but was kicked in the face before he could use it. Martin stepped forward to shoot him but Francis jumped behind him and started choking him with the handcuffs. Martin struggled for a moment but his efforts were futile and his body fell limp. Francis sighed as he let him fall.

As Bill found the keys to unlock the handcuffs, the train pulled into the station under the watchful eye of the Director.

'Once again...' he muttered to himself, 'those survivors have bested me... well no longer!' He lifted up the phone as he saw Francis and Bill make a hastily departure from the train. 'Release it!' he cried.

Stood under the large station clock, Zoey and Jaeger waited in anticipation for Bill and Francis. Zoey was squinting at the arrivals board.

'I can't understand it...' she muttered.

'You have to hand it to the British,' Jaeger commented. 'They know how to complicate things.' Bill and Francis emerged from the crowd and ran to them. Zoey held out her arms for an embrace but stopped when she noticed the looks on their faces.

'We were attacked again,' Bill informed them as they arrived.

'Right,' said Jaeger. 'Well we've got to get out of here, then!'

They moved to leave but as they did a loud alarm suddenly echoed around the station.

'What now?' Francis muttered angrily. Zoey looked to the entrance and noticed that a large gathering of people were stood there.

'Guys...' she said over the ringing. 'What's going on?' In the distance, a scream was heard. The four turned to see a group of people running around insanely, attacking anyone who got in their way. 'Oh God...' Zoey's eyes widened. 'Oh God... no!'

Outside the station, police were barricading all entrances and exits. People in hazmat suits were arriving and quarantining the area. Bill, Francis, Zoey and Jaeger were trapped in a new infected nightmare.

*

Driving into the city of London, Anna and Dennis were trapped behind a wall of traffic. Dennis slammed the steering wheel with his palms in frustration. Anna smiled.

'I did offer to drive,' she pointed out.

'Yeah,' Dennis looked at her. 'Well if we look at what happened to your own car, I think you understand why I won't let you drive mine.' Anna grinned cheekily. 'So are they just going to buy you a new one or...?'

'That wasn't my car,' Anna said. 'It's like... a car for all of the BCF to use.'

'How many are you?' Dennis asked.

'About three,' Anna looked out of the window.

'Three?' Dennis repeated, with a great tone of surprise. Anna turned to him.

'Well we are a new thing,' she explained. 'We're still recruiting. You should join us.' Dennis laughed sarcastically.

'I'm happy with the Secret Service, thank you,' Dennis replied, craning his neck. 'What's with the damn traffic?'

'This is why no one drives in London,' Anna commented. She turned to Dennis. 'I'll walk it from here, I know the way.'

'And what do I do?' Dennis asked. Anna opened the car door and thought for a moment.

'Stay there and look pretty,' she grinned, walking away. Dennis sighed and rested his head in his hand, trying to suppress the growing frustration caused by the traffic problem. Far ahead, the source of the traffic was coming from the various emergency vehicles that had parked outside Waterloo. As people ran around hurriedly, Sam walked through the panic and pushed a button on his phone.

'It's done,' he said.

'Good,' the Director sat back in his chair, looking out the window in his office. 'Yes, I can see from here. It's all going rather wrong for them, isn't it?' Sam did not say anything. 'Are you sure you got them?' he asked.

'I released the infectious agent when you said,' Sam insisted. 'But anything could have happened, really...'

'I want you to go to Jaeger's apartment,' the Director instructed. 'If any of them survived they would head there. See if you can't find anything there that could incriminate us, while you're at it.'

'Yes, sir,' Sam hung up the phone and made his way for Jaeger's apartment.

*

Jaeger took the lead and ran through the pandemonium and down into the underground system.

'Where shall we go?' Francis cried.

'Let's see if we can get on a train,' suggested Zoey.

'I've had enough of trains!' Bill spat as they arrived on a platform filled with hundreds of people. From one of the train tunnels, a loud grinding noise could be heard. It got louder and louder and soon the entire platform began to shake. 'This is gonna get bad...' Bill muttered. In the distance from the tunnel, a train emerged and crashed over onto the platform at great speed, punching through the crowd.

'Run like hell!' Zoey yelled as the entire crowd attempted to flee certain death. The front train carriage had tilted onto the side and was now sweeping over everything that did not get out of the way. The four survivors had managed to re-enter the passageway before they were crushed and were now resting on the floor as people ran insanely. Sat at the foot of some stairs, they needed to come up with a plan.

'What do we do now?' Zoey asked.

'Well we can't walk through the train tunnels,' Bill sighed.

'There must be something else we can do?' Francis asked.

'We just need to get the hell out of here,' Jaeger said sharply, looking up the stairs. A couple of people were headed their way; clearly infected. Before anyone could do anything Bill stood up and shot them dead. This caused all the screaming to stop and people started looking over to them. Bill concealed the weapon but it was too late.

'Run like hell!' Zoey cried again as some of the people ran for them, desperate to grab a weapon to defend themselves. Running up the stairs, the four made their way through the maze of the underground system. As they reached an escalator that would take them up they saw infected running down at them. Changing direction yet again, the survivors made their way for another platform to try and escape. Being pushed around by people in a mad panic, the four eventually made it to the platform where a train was just sat idle. There were people inside being attacked by people who were clearly infected. Running into the conductor's room, the four looked around at the controls.

'You're not thinking of driving this,' Zoey said after looking at Bill trying to make sense of what was in front of him.

'We're not driving anything!' Jaeger cried, pointing out of the window. A bright light in the distance was heading toward them at great speeds. The survivors jumped from the train as quick as they had entered and ran clear as another train crashed into the stationary one. The force of the crash knocked everyone to off their feet and sent debris everywhere.

'I hate the underground,' Francis spat.

*

Dennis had grown tired of waiting and parked the car in an area reserved for the disabled and started walking in the direction of the massive traffic pile up. As he locked the vehicle, an elderly woman gave him a disapproving look. He held up his ID and she walked away, muttering to herself about the inconsiderate attitude of the police. Dennis approached Waterloo station and let himself behind the barriers. He asked a police officer what was going on.

At the same time, Anna stepped out of the elevator in Jaeger's apartment complex. She walked down the hall toward apartment 4. Her phone started to ring so she stopped.

'Hello?' she answered.

'It's Dennis, we have a problem.'

'How did you get my number?' Anna asked.

'There's been a virus outbreak in Waterloo,' Dennis went on. 'The entire underground network's been sealed off.'

'Jesus...' Anna gasped, pacing the hallway. 'What happened?'

'I'm going to help and find out,' Dennis said. 'I'll probably get called here anyway in a second.' As Anna listened, she reached apartment 4. The door was ajar.

'I'll call you back...' Anna said quietly. She put her phone away and took out her gun. She gently pushed the door open and looked around the apartment. It was in a state of disarray. The main living area had a small television in front of a glass coffee table and a cheap suite. All of the cushions had been pulled off and the cases removed. Toward the back of the room there was a bookcase that had been pulled from the wall. All of the books and other ornaments were scattered on the floor. A small kitchen was to the right, in a similar state. To the left was an open door with shuffling being heard from inside. Anna silently made her way through the living room and put her back to the wall as she peered around the corner. There was a bedroom in a similar condition to the rest of the house. She stepped inside and looked to the source of the noise. The shuffling was coming from the open window, causing the wind to blow the blinds.

In the second she looked at the window, Sam emerged from behind and disarmed Anna. His arm clung around her neck and a gun was put to her head.

'What do you think you're doing?' Anna choked.

'I'm asking the questions here,' Sam spat. 'Who are you?'

'Hard to breathe,' Anna gasped. Sam released his grip a little and Anna leant her head forward. She then slammed it back and head butted him with a sickening crack. Sam cried in pain as he staggered back, this time Anna disarming him. She took her own weapon from him and held the two pistols up. Anna kicked him back and Sam fell, crashing through the glass table. 'So what do you think you're doing?'

'You broke my nose!' Sam whined.

'I'll break more than that,' Anna put her foot on his groin. 'You looking for Richard Jaeger?'

'I know where Jaeger is, babe,' Sam laughed. 'I'm just searching for something he had.'

'Like what?' Anna asked rhetorically. 'Evidence against Avery Ingram, perhaps?'

'You're sharp,' Sam commented. Anna leant close to him, putting more weight on her foot.

'Where is Avery Ingram?' she smiled.

'Where he always is,' Sam said. 'Now do you think you could...' Anna took her foot from Sam's groin and let him stand.

'I don't have time to deal with you,' Anna dialled a number on her phone. 'Jill? Send Chris to the location I asked you to find. There's a suspect here.'

Anna hung up and sighed.

'Where is Jaeger then?' she asked. 'I need to talk to him about shutting your boss down.'

'That'll be hard,' Sam explained. 'Seeing as how he's probably a zombie by now.' Anna kicked him in the head and stamped her foot against his skull.

'You talking about the outbreak in Waterloo?' she spat.

'Yeah,' he grunted. 'The Director arranged for his little friends to take a trip down memory lane.'

'How considerate,' Anna muttered, kicking him in the face, knocking him out. She called Dennis immediately.

*

At the police station in Birmingham, quarantine and police officers had set up a perimeter around the building. Various news organisations had set up camp near the perimeter fence. Each were reporting on the suspected outbreak but were saying that it was contained. From the roof, the access door burst open and Louis limped out, slamming it shut behind him. From the other side, infected started scratching and clawing at the metal. Louis staggered to the emergency stairs and made his way to street level. He held up his hands as he emerged from the alleyway. Surprised to see him, the quarantine officers moved to help.

*

Infected were roaming the main terminal of Waterloo. Unable to leave, they were forced to stagger around aimlessly. Nearly all of the people had either died, or become infected. At one of the small food shops, Zoey peered over the counter eyeing the exit.

'If we run,' she whispered, 'we might be able to make it...' Bill immediately shook his head.

'We'll be shot dead even if manage to make it past all of those bastards,' he explained. 'They're not going to take any chances out there.'

'What's your plan?' Zoey snapped. 'Sit here and wait to die?' Their conversation was halted by the sound of Francis taking a bite out of a sandwich. The three looked at him, appalled. 'Is this really the time?' Zoey spat.

'I'm hungry!' Francis protested. 'It's my last meal!' Jaeger tore the sandwich from his grip and tossed it to the floor. 'I hate you guys...'

'You can eat when we get out of here,' Jaeger said.

'Oh come on,' Francis moaned. 'I think it's pretty obvious that we're never gonna get out of here alive so why bother luring ourselves into a false sense of security?'

The main terminal doors burst open and four devices were thrown inside, each emitting a piercing beep. Looking up, the four survivors could see people in biohazard protection suits storm in, carrying heavy weaponry. They fired at any stray infected that got close. Zoey made her presence known by standing and waving to them before putting her hands on her head to make sure they wouldn't take a shot at her. Within moments, the four were taken from Waterloo station and brought outside to safety, although immediately quarantined. Inside the quarantined area, there were some other survivors who all looked slightly on edge looking at the new arrivals. Each had their blood samples taken and were left to wait. There were not confined for very long, however, as soon they were taken to a separate area with a clear plastic wall. On the other side, Dennis stood alone.

'Dennis Roth,' he introduced himself. 'You guys alright?'

'What the hell's going on?' Bill spat.

'You're welcome,' Dennis shook his head, displeased at Bill's lack of gratitude. 'We needed you out of there as soon as possible.' Dennis pointed to Jaeger. 'We need your help.'

'Mine?' Francis asked who had absentmindedly stepped in front of him. Zoey pushed him away.

'Dumbass,' she muttered.

'What do you need me for?' Jaeger asked.

'You're... undercover investigation into Avery Ingram,' Dennis explained.

'You mean my illegal investigation?' Jaeger corrected him.

'Yeah,' Dennis muttered. 'We need the evidence you collected. It could help us greatly in tracking down the person responsible for this.'

'You think it's him, too, then?' Jaeger grinned. Dennis sighed and nodded.

'We could really use your help,' Dennis pleaded. Jaeger nodded and took something from his back pocket; a small memory stick.

'Everything I've got is on this,' he said.

'A little small, isn't it?' Francis joked, receiving a sharp kick in the leg afterward from Zoey.

'I'll give it to someone to give to you,' Jaeger said. 'They'll probably need some time to run the blood tests.'

'We're immune!' Francis spat. 'God damn it... they should know that.'

'That's politics for you,' Bill muttered. Jaeger gave the memory stick to someone in a protective suit and it was passed to Dennis outside.

'Thank you,' Dennis smiled. 'We'll take good care of it, I promise.' As he turned, Zoey stopped him.

'Mr. Roth!' she cried. Dennis looked to her. 'I know you're real busy but... one of our friends, Louis, who we escaped America with... He said he was targeted, too. Can you see if he's okay for us?' Dennis smiled and nodded.

'I'll make a point of it,' he said before heading off. Zoey looked slightly relieved. They were now safe from the infected and from any other threats but what about Louis? Even though she was seeing another man, Zoey's thoughts were stuck on Louis as she and her fellow survivors sat waiting to be released.

*

Louis was lying down in the ambulance that was taking him to a special centre for infection control. The paramedics above him were administering various drugs and antibiotics to ensure there would be no problems. Of course, being naturally immune to the infection, Louis thought this was a waste of time. However he didn't mind. The painkillers were taking effected and he closed his eyes and allowed himself to fall asleep.

As soon as his eyelids dropped, he saw Zoey standing in front of him. They were on the heliport of Mercy Hospital, talking to each other happy and excited. Louis couldn't remember what he had said, but Zoey was talking away freely.

'I dunno,' she said with a toothy smile. 'You know before I never really thought ahead that much.' She paused and he smile widened. She bit the bottom of her lip gently. 'But now I guess...' Zoey let out a laugh and ran her hand through her hair. 'I know it's silly but everything that's happened has given me a completely new view on life! I mean; having to fight for your life means that surely it's worth living, right?'

Louis was overwhelmed with emotion. The only thing he wanted to do was pull her close and show her how she felt. After all they had been through, he had to let her know how he felt and to tell her how much she meant to him. It took all of his strength to pull her head toward his. He wanted to kiss her so desperately that it almost hurt. However, all he could manage was a gentle kiss on the lips. He stepped back, feeling slightly disappointed that he couldn't accomplish what he had tried to do. However he was shocked when Zoey grabbed him and pulled him close to her. Everything seemed to go fuzzy.

Louis experienced the memories of the infection every time his eyes closed and he fell asleep. Most of them were with Zoey. Despite struggling to survive, desperately fighting off infected with less than stellar chances of survival, he enjoyed every moment they were together in ways he could not fluently explain. Other memories were with Francis. They fought together well and had saved both Zoey and Bill from the Director. The bond they had developed over such a short time was a strong and unbreakable one. As for Bill, Louis always remembered Bill when he was with Zoey; when Zoey had embraced him, sobbing, after the failed rescue attempt at the hospital and when Zoey looked to Bill in times of need, over him. Louis knew that their relationship was probably similar to his and Francis', but he still felt jealous of Bill.

Louis eyes focused back out of sleep and he looked around as he awoke. He had been moved to the special centre for infection control. The paramedics above him had been replaced by men in white coats. He was still too weak to move very far but he managed to look up when he heard someone call his name.

'You're a real pain in the ass, Louis,' a familiar voice said. Louis looked up and saw the Director staring at him. Louis tried to move but could not. He was not too weak, he was restrained. The Director stepped close to him. 'If you had been a good boy and just died then the rest of your friends would probably be out of the picture now as well...' Louis was unable to speak. 'No matter, though. They've been dealt with. Now... all I've got is you...' The Director nodded to one of the men in coats. 'Begin.' Louis was pulled away on a gurney into a separate room as the Director watched with a smirk on his face. 'We'll see how resistant to infection you are...'


	16. Deadly Decisions

Deadly Decisions

Anna ducked under the police tape that separated the public from the hazards of Waterloo. She immediately spotted Dennis who was typing on a laptop that was placed on the boot of a police car. Dennis looked over and smiled as she approached him.

'Good news?' Anna asked.

'I tell you,' Dennis said with a tone of admiration. 'Jaeger's thorough.'

'What kind of evidence did he collect?'

'Financial reports, pictures, signatures...' Dennis muttered. 'I think there's enough to at least warrant a... warrant.'

'Let's go then!' Anna said perkily, turning to go.

'Hold on a second!' Dennis protested. 'Where do you think you're going?'

'To Ingram's place?'

'Oh no,' Dennis closed the laptop screen. 'No, no. We can't just swan in there. We need to go through the proper channels.'

'It takes time to get a warrant!' Anna protested. 'Let's go in there now. It'll be a nice surprise for the others when they're given the all clear.'

'Avery Ingram is the Director of AID; one of the largest pharmaceutical corporation in the world,' Dennis said slowly. 'They have lawyers who could probably tear the skin from your back off faster than those... zombies.'

'I don't want him to walk out of this one,' Anna said. 'I'm sure you don't either... after what happened to your family.' Dennis looked at Anna intensely. He was torn between his duty and his personal feelings. Anna took his hand and squeezed it gently. 'You can tell them it was all my fault.'

'Deal,' Dennis said leading the way to his car, still holding Anna's hand. When he realised, he let his slip from hers. Anna smiled gingerly and followed him to his car. Dennis opened the door and paused before stepping inside. 'Are the two of us going to be enough?'

'I can get Chris and Jill...' Anna pondered. 'I think if we took some of these officers then we'd get a much better response.'

'What do you mean?' Dennis asked.

'Ten heavily armed policemen,' Anna smiled. 'I think he might crap his pants...'

*

The Director stepped out of the elevator and walked down the corridor toward his office. Going through a set of double doors, he walked by Liz who was sat at her desk and entered his office through another set of double doors. Liz stood up and followed him in.

'I thought you were going to use Francis?' she asked.

'Now that he's dead,' the Director spat, 'I can't really, can I?' The Director sat with a thud and looked out the window. 'Louis will have to do.'

'Can you be certain that they're dead?' Liz asked, stepping into the office. 'I mean, they survived one outbreak, right?' The Director turned in his chair and looked at her.

'You really think they're going to let us just take them?'

'Well, no...' Liz muttered.

'Just get out of my sight!' the Director turned, looking out the window. Liz hastily departed, leaving the Director staring out at the streets of London. He sighed and massaged his temples with his fingertips. 'This is going to work...' he whispered to himself. 'They can't take this from me.'

The phone suddenly started to ring, causing the Director to jump. He hastily picked it up but dropped the receiver on the table. He dragged it toward him and lifted it to his head.

'What?' he gasped.

'We've administered a mutated strain of the virus,' said the person on the other end. In the labs, Louis was strapped to a bed behind a set of metal bars, thick glass and more bars. Someone in a white coat injected Louis and hastily stepped out of the safe room. 'We're monitoring the results.'

'Great,' the Director spat. 'Why don't you call me when something interesting is happening?' He slammed the phone down and sighed angrily. He grabbed his cane and walked over to the window. The flashes of light from emergency service vehicles could be seen in between buildings.

*

In the quarantined area of Waterloo station, the four survivors were sat waiting.

'How long is this gonna take?' Francis moaned.

'Probably fifteen more minutes...' Jaeger said. 'Don't think that they'll let us out though.'

'Why?' Zoey asked.

'They'll want to debrief us,' Jaeger explained. 'They'll want to take statements... we're gonna be here until the late evening.' Francis groaned. 'At least,' Jaeger supplemented.

'Damn it!' he moaned. 'I hate waiting.'

'Is there anything you don't hate, Francis?' Bill asked.

'...I don't hate leather vests.'

Zoey chuckled and looked out through the clear plastic. Her smile faded away and she stood up, surprised and pleased. Approaching her on the other side was Graham, looking worried but pleased to see her. Zoey ran up to the wall and chuckled.

'Hi,' she said softly through a chuckle.

'Christ...' Graham gasped, putting his hand on the plastic. 'Are you alright?'

'Yeah,' Zoey said, brushing her hair out of her face. 'Yeah we're... we're doing good. How did you...?'

'Some guy named Dennis Roth called me and I came as fast as I could,' Graham explained. 'A bit hard though, considering all of London is gridlocked.' Graham saw the others behind Zoey, listening carefully to their conversation. 'Hey Grandpa Bill,' he joked.

'Eat shit,' Bill muttered, taking a seat away from the wall. Francis laughed and Jaeger approached the wall. Zoey put her hand where Graham's was but Graham immediately took his away and saluted him.

'Admiral,' he said deeply. Jaeger waved him away.

'I'm not an Admiral anymore, lieutenant,' Jaeger nodded.

'I'm not a lieutenant anymore, either,' Graham smiled. Zoey's eyes widened.

'Oh my God,' she gasped. 'Does that mean...?'

'Sure does,' Graham beamed. 'I'm now the deputy head of the BCF.' Zoey jumped up and down in excitement and let out a high pitched glee.

'Christ, Zoey, not so loud!' Jaeger covered his ears, stepping away from her.

'Sorry... but congratulations! You deserve it.'

'Thanks,' Graham smiled but his expression turned into one more serious. 'Where's Louis?'

'Louis isn't here,' Francis informed him. 'He's up in Birmingham.'

'Oh...' Graham said slowly. 'I just thought that...'

'We're our own people, Graham,' Zoey muttered. 'We're not joined at the hip.'

'Which is a shame because Bill needs a new hip,' Francis laughed.

'Son of a bitch,' Bill muttered, kicking Francis in the leg.

Zoey looked back at Bill and Francis and suddenly her mind drifted back to the day they were all rescued. They were on a cruise ship that the military was using as a makeshift base. It was a mess onboard, military equipment and personnel were everywhere mixed with the passengers that had been onboard already. They had about a week of travelling left before they arrived in Great Britain, where most people of importance in the Americas and Canada had fled to.

It was a cold night when Zoey had stepped up on deck, still wearing her pink hooded top and tattered jeans. She had left to get some fresh air; the people she was sharing quarters with had a collective bad smell since all water was being rationed until they returned. The sky was black and there was no moon however; the abundant number of stars that shone brighter than Zoey had ever seen them more than made up for it. She walked along the deck breathing in the fresh ocean air. The faint taste of salt was in her mouth as she took in a deep breath; clearing her lungs of everything below. Zoey began to choke as she inhaled a sudden and large amount of smoke. She looked up and saw Richard Jaeger lighting up a cigarette.

'Sorry,' he said.

'Don't worry about it,' Zoey spluttered. 'Just... caught me off guard.'

'This air is too damn fresh,' Jaeger said, looking at the cigarette. He offered it to Zoey. 'Have to humanise it a bit.'

'A bit of fresh air is all I need right now,' Zoey said, leaning against the guard rail. She looked at the cigarette for a moment and took it. 'Although this is pretty good, too.' Zoey took in a deep breath and handed it back to Jaeger, letting the smoke fly out of her mouth in one quick blow.

For a moment the two stared out to sea without saying a word. The gentle crashing of the waves below along with the gusty force of the wind seemed to be pushing everything they had been through out of their minds and into distant memory.

'Do you think it's really over?' Zoey asked, still looking straight ahead.

'Not in a long shot,' Jaeger said bluntly. 'When we get back we'll probably be quarantined for about a week until they can determine we're not dangerous... they'll do that with everyone but someone's bound to slip through the cracks. They always do.'

'After all this time though,' Zoey thought aloud, 'surely they're of no risk to anyone anymore.'

'We don't know anything about this virus,' Jaeger said. 'It could linger for ages... we could all be immune but be carrying it.'

'Shit...' she muttered. Jaeger looked to Zoey and saw that he was causing her to worry.

'We're all fine though,' he added. 'And besides there are bigger things to worry about.'

'Like the guy who blew up your ship?'

'I'm gonna make him pay,' Jaeger said, taking a long breath from the cigarette before throwing it into the ocean. 'I'd better get back,' he said absently. 'See you later.' Zoey wondered why he was leaving so abruptly but she noticed Louis making his way toward her. He waved pleasantly at Jaeger before standing next to her, putting his hand on her back.

'You're healing well,' Zoey smiled.

'Who'd have thought you'd get such great healthcare on a cruise ship?' Louis joked. Zoey smiled and looked out again to sea. Louis put his arm around her shoulder and gave her a gentle squeeze. 'We've sure been through a lot.' Zoey rolled her eyes. She came outside to be alone, not to reflect on her relationship with Louis. Was there a relationship? He had saved her life when they first met... they watched each other's backs and helped each other survive up to this point. There was no doubt they had grown close together but... The first romantic thing that had happened between them was a kiss.

A kiss. One kiss at a point when they both were overcome with emotion; thinking that they were going to get out and get to freedom. When everything went wrong since then they didn't really have a chance to talk about it. They were either separated, on the boat of the damned or on a sinking aircraft carrier.

'It sure was a crazy ride...' Zoey said quietly. Louis looked to her and pushed some hair off her face.

'What's wrong?' he asked. Zoey shook herself and stepped away from him.

'Louis...' she said solemnly, biting her lower lip. 'We have been through a lot... and I... don't want what we've been through to cloud where we're going to go.' Louis was quiet for a moment.

'What?' he asked, confused. Zoey turned round and looked to him.

'I don't want to start something if there's... nothing there...' she said as carefully as she could. Louis suddenly understood what she was talking about.

'Right,' Louis said, unsure of what to say. Zoey stepped forward, holding her wrists.

'I mean you're an amazing guy, Louis,' she said sincerely. 'I know I wouldn't be here without you but... I mean before I was in hospital...' She let go of her wrists and put them behind her back. 'I wasn't in a good place and I... I need to make sure that I'm okay before I can go into anything... serious...'

'You seem fine to me,' Louis swallowed hard.

'I just need time, okay?' Zoey asked. 'Let's not... rush things. Everything's going to be okay now. We've got all the time in the world.'

'I guess...' Louis said, clearly disappointed.

'I think, for now,' Zoey said in the same careful manner as before, 'that we should get to know each other normally before we go into anything. I mean in the situation we were in before; everything was so rushed and fast paced...'

'I guess you're right,' Louis sighed. He looked to Zoey and smiled. Zoey smiled back. Louis nodded, said something else and then walked away. Zoey couldn't remember what he had said. All she was aware of was that she was now in the quarantine area, rubbing her wrists.

'You okay?' Graham asked. Zoey shook herself and nodded.

'Yeah, I'm fine...' she said. 'Just thinking about something...'

'I think we should be thinking how we're gonna get out of here!' Francis yelled.

'We're not prisoners, idiot,' Jaeger said, causing everyone to look at him in surprise. Jaeger looked around. 'He's annoying me.'

'Sorry, Gramps,' Francis muttered sarcastically.

'Don't call me Gramps,' Jaeger shook his head. 'I'll never be a Grandfather thanks to this infection...' Zoey frowned at Jaeger.

'Are you okay?' she asked, putting her hand on his back. Jaeger shrugged her off and walked away.

'I think it's getting to him,' Graham said quietly as Jaeger went to be by himself. 'You should have seen him before. He was so worried about his son.' Zoey felt sorry for him and yet her thoughts kept straying back to Louis. She wondered how he was doing.

*

In central London a large building stood with a perfect view of the Thames. A fairly new building; it did not have the history of the Tower of London, or the influence of the Houses of Parliament but it had such great importance that the events from the past year would be dramatically different if it had not existed. Close to the London Eye, it was overlooked by tourists and was almost invisible as it was remarkably featureless. It was a standard glass building that reflected the images of everything around it. If someone attempted to look through the windows all they would see would be themselves and they would never suspect what secrets the building contains and for what purpose it was built for.

The most important room had a line of writing engraved on the door; "Avery Ingram, Director". AID... Avery Ingram, the Director of AID, set up the pharmaceutical company many years ago with support from his associates in China. The company developed many products, but the Director was always looking for that next business opportunity that would make him rich and more importantly, famous. No longer would he be a nameless body in the invisible building; he would be immortal, forever remembered in the history books.

Outside the building, a car parked. The car, much like the building, was unremarkable. The people that got out of it, however, were not. Anna and Dennis walked to the front entrance, striding confidently. The evidence against the Director was safe; now all they needed to do was arrest him. By the time his lawyers could bail him out, it would be too late, they would have found the hard, physical evidence of what he had been up to.

'You know what you're looking for?' Anna asked after briefing Dennis about the history of AID.

'You'd think sinking a million dollar naval vessel would be enough to put someone away...' Dennis commented, loading his weapon. 'Guess not...' A large SWAT van pulled up behind them. Several SWAT members came out from the back and a muscular man with black hair stepped out next to a slim woman with short, brown hair. 'Chris and Jill, I assume?' Dennis asked.

'Nice to meet you,' Chris nodded.

'Who's running the show here?' Jill asked.

'She doesn't mess around,' Anna said, apologising for Jill's bluntness.

'Sorry,' Chris jumped in, apologising for Jill as well. 'We've been in a meeting organising the new deputy.'

'Is it the navy guy?' Anna asked. Jill nodded and Anna smiled. 'Well give him a call to get here. This is big.' Anna looked up at the building. 'This is a great way to spearhead the Bioterrorism Counter Force; by shutting down the man responsible for these biological outbreaks.' She turned to Dennis, winking. 'And in record time, to boot.'

Above them in his office, the Director looked into his computer screen and saw security footage of the BCF congregation outside.

'Oh damn...' he whispered.

*

Graham's phone began to ring. He excused himself and left the four. Zoey sighed and walked over to Bill.

'I'm worried about Louis...' she told him.

'Really? I thought he was in police protection?'

'I just want to know if he's okay...'

A man in a protective suit entered the quarantined area.

'You're results are through,' he announced. 'You can leave now.'

'Didn't I tell you?' Francis spat. 'We're all fine!'

Everyone moved to leave but the quarantine officer stopped one of them.

'Mr. Jaeger, can you wait a moment?' he asked. Jaeger looked to him, annoyed. Everyone else stopped and looked around.

'What is it?' he asked. The officer looked reluctant. Zoey's face fell.

'Mr. Jaeger, you can't leave the quarantine zone,' the officer told him.

'Why the hell not?' Jaeger spat. Zoey shook her head in disbelief.

'I'm sorry to tell you this,' the officer said. 'But the tests show that... you're infected with the virus.' Jaeger stopped and was completely still. 'I'm afraid there's nothing we can do for you... You're just not immune.' Jaeger looked over to the three survivors, all were silent. All of the noise seemed to have been extinguished from outside. All that was left was this world; the plastic, sterile world. The last place he would see. The world he would live in for his remaining time.

'How long do I have?' Jaeger asked; his throat suddenly dry and brow suddenly damp with sweat.

'We're not sure...' the officer murmured.

'Can you be sure he's infected?' Francis asked, concerned.

'Yes... it's all in his blood...' the officer confirmed. 'Plus he's showing all the symptoms of infection; irritability... perspiration...'

'You know all this and you don't know how long I have left?' Jaeger yelled, causing Zoey to flinch.

'It'll be hours,' the officer said. 'Two at the most...' Jaeger stepped way and nodded, although not really accepting his fate.

'Jaeger...' Zoey gasped but was shot down by a meagre wave.

'Just go...' he muttered. He stepped back into the quarantine area. The officer mentioned something about making him comfortable but it didn't help him much. He was going to die. Nothing could be done about it. In less time it takes to watch a movie, he would be dead.

Richard Jaeger was going to die. All he could do was wait, wait to die. Now he knew what it was like to be left for dead.


	17. The Unjust Downfall

The Unjust Downfall

Graham's phone started to ring, causing him to excuse himself from Zoey and step away from the four.

'This is Graham,' he answered perkily, not knowing the news his former leader was about to receive.

'Hello,' said a woman on the other end. 'This is Anna Shepherd.' Graham had a sudden, serious look on his face.

'Oh, hello, Ms Shepherd,' he spluttered. 'It's a pleasure to talk to you. I'm sorry I've not come in but I've had a... personal emergency and I-'

'Don't worry about it,' Anna interrupted him. 'No one is in the office at the moment; there's a major operation going on in the field and it would be the perfect time for you to be integrated with us.'

'Oh,' Graham said, slightly hesitant. 'Sure, I'll gladly come... I mean it is my job, right?' He laughed nervously.

'Do you know where AID HQ is?' Anna asked.

'Um...'

'The huge glass building near the Eye,' Anna elaborated.

'Oh yeah!' Graham nodded, smacking himself with his palm realising she could not see him.

'Get here as soon as possible,' Anna ordered. 'We're preparing to arrest Avery Ingram and we'll need all the support we can-'

'Wait,' Graham interrupted her. 'Avery Ingram being; Director Avery Ingram?'

'Yes,' said Anna. 'Get here as soon as possible.'

'I'll be there right away!' Graham hung up and grinned excitedly to himself. He was going to help apprehend the man who destroyed the Abraham Lincoln; the same man who Jaeger himself had been searching for this whole time. Before he left, he decided to run back to tell the others what was happening. Jaeger would be so happy...

As Graham returned to the quarantined tents his eyebrows arched in pleasant surprise to see Francis stood outside.

'Hey, man,' Graham smiled. He heard the sound of crying from around the corner. Zoey was leaning on the front of a police car, weeping into her hands. Graham ran to her and put a hand on her shoulder. 'Zoey!' he squeezed gently. 'What's going on?' Zoey looked up at him and shook his head. Francis joined them and sighed.

'It's Jaeger...' he said dejectedly. Graham frowned, not knowing what he was talking about.

'What do you mean?' he asked.

'He's infected...' Francis said softly. 'They say he's got about an hour... two at the best.' Graham stepped back, shocked. He was speechless. 'Bill is in there talking with him, but... I think he just wants to be alone until...'

'No...' Graham managed. 'This... it can't be...'

'Sorry...' Francis shook his head. Graham stepped past him and walked over to the tent, being watched by Francis and Zoey. He tried heading inside but two armed officers refused to let him pass. He went around the side to where he had been speaking to them just moments before. Through the plastic he saw Bill and Jaeger. He stepped right up close to the material and the two looked to him. 'I...' Graham choked. 'God...' Bill stepped away from Jaeger, his arms folded tight. The former Admiral had his back to him. Bill stepped up to the divider and shook his head.

'There's nothing we can do...' he said. Graham's head fell. 'They've given him drugs that should suppress the infection but... it's just buying time.'

'Pointless time,' Jaeger said through his anger. 'Why won't they just kill me now? I'd rather die with my mind intact.' Bill swallowed hard. Jaeger turned around and looked at Graham. Graham, in turn, managed to look up at his former commanding officer.

'If there's anything you want to say,' Bill said quietly, 'I think you should do it now...' He gave Jaeger a final look and moved to leave the quarantine area, leaving him and Graham facing each other.

'You don't have to say anything,' Jaeger shook his head.

'No, I think I do,' Graham croaked. His throat and mouth were dry and it was difficult to think properly. It was all happening so fast. 'Admiral...' he said softly. 'This is... wrong...' Jaeger looked away. 'So, so... wrong. You don't deserve this.'

'I can't think of many people who do...' Jaeger whispered.

'Is there anyone you want me to call?' Graham asked.

'I've got no family left,' Jaeger sighed. He paced around for a moment before looking straight at Graham. 'Look out for them,' he said. 'Zoey... Bill and the others. Look out for them.' Graham nodded. Jaeger took a sudden step forward, the look in his eyes piercing through the material and making an impact deep down in Graham's body. 'Don't...' Jaeger whispered, his voice shaking with a mixture of anger and sorrow. 'You can't... This can't...' Jaeger took a deep breath.

'Don't let this happen again,' he said. 'No one else can die like this.' Graham nodded in understanding. He suddenly stood to attention and saluted the former Admiral. Jaeger sighed and did the same.

'It was...' Graham started to speak but couldn't find words that would convey the feelings of great respect and admiration he felt toward him. He hesitated; thinking about everything that was happening. One of the people he respected the most was dying and there was nothing he could about it. There was nothing anyone could do about it. All he could do now was take down the Director. He would avenge Jaeger and make sure that Avery Ingram got exactly what he deserved.

'I have to go,' Graham gasped. 'The BCF are moving in on the Director as we speak. I can help.' Jaeger nodded. Graham went to go but gave Jaeger a fond look. 'Goodbye, Admiral,' he said, walking away into the distance. Jaeger was left alone in his quarantined space. He put his hands behind his back and sighed. He looked out through the plastic at the people rushing around, all incredibly busy. Considering the circumstances; he felt calm and more content than he had been a few moments ago. He knew that the Director would be brought to justice. With that thought; his mouth curved to a weak smile.

*

Graham approached Bill, Francis and Zoey who were stood in silence, watching him as he stepped toward them. He took a deep breath before speaking.

'Remember the Director?' he asked them. Everyone responded by nodding. 'Well, he's behind everything that's happened today and I've been called to help take him down.' Zoey's eyes lit up. She stepped forward.

'You're taking us with you,' she insisted. Graham hesitated but realised that he really did not have a choice. He nodded.

'Good,' Bill nodded. 'You drive. These English roads are shit.'

*

The Director stepped into the laboratory, Liz following him obediently while writing on a clipboard. Louis was in the far corner, still strapped down in the secured room. The various men and women running around looked frantic and very busy. Louis was ignoring everything that was happening. In the far corner, some researchers were securing live specimens of the infected in strong cages. Louis looked up and saw the Director step inside.

'Status on him?' the Director asked the head researcher.

'We've administered the strongest, modified sample of the virus,' she said, 'and he's responding well...'

'I don't want him to respond well,' the Director spat. He shook his head angrily. 'Have you destroyed all the other samples?'

'Yes,' she nodded, handing Liz a very small briefcase. 'The only samples left are in this case and inside him.' She nodded over to Louis. 'However the virus will adjust in his body, so even if his corpse is recovered; they won't be able to recover anything they can use.'

'Fantastic,' the Director said snappily. He and Liz turned to leave the laboratory. 'Did you get information on the people surrounding our building?'

'It seems the SIS are working with the BCF,' Liz told him. 'Dennis Roth and Anna Shepherd are leading the teams. Shepherd is completely uninteresting but Roth lost his family in the outbreak in the States so he might want revenge against you.'

'He can try,' the Director muttered, stopping at the door. He looked over to Liz and took the case. 'Thank you, Liz, you've done tremendous work.' Liz smiled but before she could respond, the Director left through the metal door. When it was closed, red lights flashed in the laboratory and metallic shutters descended over the exit. A loud crack came from the metallic cages and infected immediately broke out into the laboratory. The Director walked away as everyone was left to die. He sighed as he stepped into the elevator and pushed to go to the roof.

*

Just outside, Anna snapped her phone shut.

'The no-fly zone has just been set up,' she reported to Dennis. 'The building's completely surrounded so there's absolutely no way he can get himself out of here.'

'Good work, Shepherd,' Dennis nodded. 'You ever thought about joining the Secret Service?' Anna laughed.

'I'm happy with zombies for the time being,' Anna joked. Dennis smiled at her and a hand on her shoulder before stepping away. Anna looked over to him fondly but shot her head back when Dennis, in turn, looked to her. He cleared his throat.

'When are we moving in?' he asked.

'Uh...' Anna checked her watch. 'When Graham gets here... God damn it, what's taking him so long?' A car pulled up to the perimeter that they had set up and Graham stepped out along with Bill, Francis and Zoey. 'What the...?' Anna muttered. Dennis looked over.

'Is this Graham?' he asked. Anna walked over to Graham who had an apologetic look on his face.

'What's this?' she asked.

'I've worked with these people before,' Graham said. 'Hi, by the way.'

'You do realise what's going on here, right?' Anna asked, bemused.

'They can handle themselves and I think they'd be a valuable asset.'

'We're about to storm a building looking for a terrorist!' Anna spat. 'We're not... shopping for shoes!'

'They were there when the Director sunk the Abraham Lincoln,' Graham told her. 'They helped out a lot.' Anna hesitated and put her hand to her head. Dennis appeared beside her and introduced himself to everyone.

'Hey weren't you at Waterloo?' he asked when he saw Zoey.

'We all were,' she explained. 'We tagged along to see if we could help out.'

'You can't,' Anna said snappily. 'This is a very delicate operation and we can't let civilians interfere.'

'That Director guy you're after,' Bill stepped forward. 'He's been trying to kill us all day. We can handle ourselves in there. We can help!'

The Director stepped out of the elevator, barking into his phone.

'I don't care if there's a no-fly restriction!' he spat. 'It's not as if they have AA weapons for Christ sake!' He stormed through into his office and picked up the office phone, dialling numbers. His computer screen displayed an image of the congregation outside. 'I don't care, just get me out of here right...' The Director saw the image and immediately hung up both phones. He saw the three people that had just joined Anna's group. 'Your ranks grow by the minute, Ms Shepherd...' the Director muttered to himself. He saw who the extra three people were and looked surprised. Very surprised, indeed. 'He's alive?' The Director stood up and looked out of the window. 'Oh... now that is interesting...'

*

Dennis had taken Anna to one side to discuss the recent addition to their party.

'We could use them,' he suggested once again. 'We could pair them up with people.' Sighing Anna finally gave in and nodded. 'Very good!' Dennis and Anna stepped back and began briefing everyone.

'This is going to work like this;' Anna began. 'We're going to storm the place. The sole reason for being here is to apprehend the Director. It may be possible that there armed security personnel on site. Unless you see the Director, lethal force is acceptable to armed hostiles.'

'If you do see Avery Ingram,' Dennis took over. 'Subdue him. He must be taken in alive, understood?' He was answered by a mixture of nods and "yes sir". Anna stepped forward.

'According to Jaeger's data,' she said, causing a look of sorrow wash over the others, Graham and Zoey in particular, 'he may be in possession with samples of the virus. Now since he's orchestrated everything that's happened today it wouldn't be wild to assume that he has some sort of laboratory complex on site. We're going to split the teams, one to look for the Director and the other to find the laboratory and secure it. Team A will be the Director team and along with you SWAT units, it will include Dennis, Graham and Jill. Team B will consist of myself and Chris, Bill, Francis and Zoey.'

'I want to go after the Director,' Bill spoke up.

'I want you all with me,' Anna insisted. 'They might have live specimens of infected in these labs and since you've dealt with them before; I want you with me. Is that clear?'

'I think one of them should be on my team,' Dennis said. 'In case we run into infected.' Anna gave him a sour look. 'You never know...' he said softly.

'Alright,' Anna looked to Zoey. 'You join Team A.' Everyone moved to stand with their respective team members.

'Team B will breach first and head for the basement, the likely location of any labs. Team A will come in sixty seconds later and head upstairs. Are there any questions?' There were none. 'Dennis, you're leading A. I'm leading B. Suit up; we move in, in one minute!'

Everyone got into position, ready to move. Bill, Francis and Zoey donned bulletproof vests and took pistols and extra ammunition.

'Hey, guys,' Zoey said before they separated. 'Take care of yourselves.' She smiled heartily and Bill put a hand on her shoulder.

'You too,' he said. 'Don't do anything crazy, kid.' They looked over to Francis who shrugged.

'I just want to shoot things up,' he said.

'Love you, too,' Zoey joked, running over to her position with Graham. Bill and Francis made their way over to Anna. They were positioned by the front entrance. Anna looked over to Bill and Francis who were toward the back of the group.

'Just stay out of the way,' she said spitefully. 'Alright?'

'Hey,' Bill stepped forward. 'I was in 'Nam!'

'Procedures have been updated since the seventies,' Anna cocked her weapon. 'Team B in position!'

'Team A in position,' Dennis reported.

'Radio check...' Anna instructed. Francis tapped Bill on the shoulder.

'Why can't we just shoot something?' he asked.

'Only shoot someone shooting at you,' Bill said, looking forward. He then looked back to Francis. 'Or zombies. You can shoot zombies.'

'You treat me so right,' Francis laughed.

'Move in!' Anna cried, storming through the doors into the building. Bill and Francis followed the other SWAT members into the reception of AID. Dennis and his team prepared to move in. Zoey stood to the front of the group with Graham.

'Don't do anything stupid,' he told her. Zoey gave him a distasteful look.

*

The Director sat in his office, his arms calmly folded and his eyes watching Anna lead her team into his building. A half empty glass of brandy sat beside the computer, forgotten due to the Director's plans. There was only one way for him to escape now. He waited for a moment. Anna's team started securing the people who were still inside the building. He chuckled to himself thinking of how they had no idea what was going on. Dennis' team suddenly moved inside and only a few police on patrol outside remained, enforcing the perimeter. The only way he would be able to get out now would be if they were forced to leave. Looking out of the window, he sighed. The sky was a delicious orange colour as the sun began to dip below the buildings. The Director thought of his plan in his head, thinking every detail over fondly. He knew that when the sun rose again, London would look remarkably different. He knew that he would come out of this situation well; after all, he had the plan. He turned back to his desk and tapped the Enter key on his computer. Down in the basement, the metallic shutters that secured the laboratories opened. In combination of the weak doors and the grinding noise of the metal shutters, it was only a few seconds before a hunter burst through, screaming at the blank corridors ahead. It pounced forward and in its wake, a smoker staggered out, running off in another direction. More infected began to file out of the laboratory including an obese boomer and a muscular tank, which tore through the walls as soon as it was free from the prison. Everyone who had been inside the room was dead.

*

Anna's team stacked up at the door to the stairwell that went down to the basement. A notice was on the door saying "no access under any circumstances". A charge was placed on the lock and the door was blasted open. Anna took point and led the team downstairs with Chris close behind her. As Bill followed the SWAT team, he had a feeling in his gut that something was not right. There was something so familiar about the situation he was in.

'Come on Bill,' Francis whispered. 'Stairs are your favourite.' Bill shook off Francis' comment but suddenly thought back to that night. He had come home early, after being fired from his job, threw his jacket to the to the floor and moved his chair to block the front door, so the landlord would not be able to storm in demanding rent. Then the emergency news bulletins were broadcast as the televisions went dead and two gunshots came from the room below, shooting through the floor. The stairs Bill was descending with the others seemed to change into the stairwell in his apartment building. The clean, sterile marble-looking floor changed to the stained, messy brown floor patterns of the dank apartment.

Bill knew the end of this. He would descend one flight of stairs and emerge on the floor below his own. He would make his way down the corridor and see the door of the room below his was open by a small crack. Through the crack he would see a bloody hand with a gun next to it. A feeling of excitement would brew within him and secretly loving every moment of it, Bill would step into the apartment and encounter the first infected he saw; the witch. Had it not been for the building's landlord causing a scene, the witch would have ripped Bill to shreds instead of him. Bill would run up the stairs and make it back to his apartment where he would hear the dire sounds of death from the other side of the thin wooden door.

As Bill, Francis and the rest of the team arrived at the bottom of the stairs, he was experiencing a strong sense of déjà vu. This door was unlocked and so they burst through it easily. The corridors were a blank colour with white lights beaming down on them from above. Grey metallic doors were the only decoration in the otherwise featureless hallway. One light at the far end had blood splattered on it. Anna slowly led the team in that direction.

It was silent. They arrived at the stained light but there was no one around.

'Split up,' Anna ordered. 'Search the rooms.' She pointed to a SWAT team member. 'Make sure no one gets upstairs.' Everyone split into pairs. Anna and Chris ran ahead to a T-junction, followed by Bill and Francis. The other members of the team went in other directions. Anna and Chris stacked up on the right wall and Bill and Francis on the left. There was a faint sound that tickled the walls of the corridor. It was the sound of heavy breathing that was interrupted by weeping. Bill and Francis looked to each other nervously. They looked over to Anna and Chris, but they had already run around the corner. They heard Chris shout something.

'Hands in the air, now!' he yelled. The crying noise stopped. It was replaced by angry grunts. Bill and Francis ran around the corner in time to see Anna and Chris advance on the witch that sat in the middle of the corridor. Anna looked reluctant.

'No, you idiot!' Bill cried. Chris yelled something to the witch but it could not be heard over the sudden screams it yelled and the sound of his flesh being torn from his body. Before anyone could do anything, a smoker's tongue wrapped around Francis' torso and he was dragged back to the other end of the T-junction. Bill attempted to help him but was knocked flat. Francis dropped his gun and it let out a shot that echoed over the screams of the witch.

*

Ascending a flight of stairs, Dennis' team were heading straight for the Director, whose office was on the 4th floor. They stopped at the door that would let them out on the 4th floor and Dennis whispered to the others.

'Alive,' he reminded them. Anna's voice suddenly burst over the radio.

'We require immediate assistance!' she cried. 'There's been an... –reak. We require-' Her voice was interrupted by moments of static before the radio went dead.

'Oh no...' Graham whispered. Dennis looked gravely concerned.

'We need to go help her!' he cried.

'No!' Zoey said, to everyone's surprise. Jill stepped forward.

'If there's something down there,' she said instantly, 'we can't let them die.'

'We won't,' Zoey looked to Dennis. 'I know you care about Anna.' Dennis cleared his throat. 'But you're in charge here. You need to take down the Director. Jill and I can take a few guys down to help them.' Graham seemed to disapprove but Dennis nodded in agreement.

'Go, now!' he ordered. Zoey, Jill and three of Dennis' five man SWAT team ran back down the stairs. Graham stood by the door and prepared to kick it open. Dennis nodded and Graham burst through. The corridor was completely different to the basement corridor. The walls were made from luxurious marble with expensive, if not out of place, portraits and photographs decorating it. The stone floors had a carpet running down the middle and the remaining floor that could be seen had small circular lights that emitted an orange glow. Dennis and Graham didn't care about the design of the building, however. Their only thoughts were on capturing the Director, who was getting tangibly closer and closer.

Zoey was now in the lead as she ran across the reception area to the basement access. She stopped, however, when she felt something. Jill and the others ran past her. Jill looked back and yelled at her.

'What are you doing?' she cried. Zoey looked around. She felt vibrations coming from the ground and they were getting stronger. She looked around and couldn't see anything that could be causing it. The computer monitors on the nearby reception desk were shaking, as were the chandeliers that hung from the ceiling. Zoey looked over to the open door that led to the basement. A tank burst through the frame suddenly and roared at them.

'Oh dear God...' Zoey gasped. Jill and the SWAT members immediately began to open fire but it had little effect. The tank hurled its massive fists into the air and brought them crashing down onto Jill's head, decimating it instantly. One of the SWAT team fumbled and the tank threw Jill's corpse at him, knocking him over, sending his weapon flying, still shooting. It shot another SWAT member dead and caused Zoey and the other to dive out of the way. Zoey made it behind the reception desk and looked around. The SWAT member nearest her took a flash bang and threw it at the beast as it was about to kill his friend who was on the floor by Jill's corpse. It detonated right by the tank's face and it let out a fierce roar.

Zoey, blinded and deafened by the blast, held her hands to her ears and snapped her eyes shut. The two SWAT members managed to stand but now the tank was more dangerous than ever. It staggered around, blindly, swinging its fists insanely looking for its target. It managed to knock one SWAT member off his feet and it punched the floor with such a force the chandeliers shook violently. The SWAT member who used the grenade took cover behind the desk. He saw Zoey and tapped her on the back. She opened her eyes and he tried to signal something to her but ended up pulling her out of the way at the tank ploughed through the flimsy desk. Zoey was rolled away before the tank stomped all over the SWAT member who was soon buried under the remains of reception.

On the ground, Zoey got a good look at the beast's ugly face. The facial features were distorted and looked inhuman but the eyes were blank and staring at nothing, most likely due to the flash bang. The dead stare was reminiscent of her first encounter with the infected when she was trapped in the hospital room. Lying on the cold floor gave her the similar sensation of being in one of the thin, cold hospital gowns. The tank's eyes were the same as the eyes of the common infected who had tried to claw his way through the door into the recovery room. Both were angry and lacking any sign of life.

The tank's eyes suddenly focused on Zoey. It could see her, the flash had worn off. Zoey knew it was looking at her and the tank knew she knew this. It roared and swung its fists down at her. She rolled, narrowly avoiding the attack and got to her feet, running for cover that did not exist. The last remaining SWAT member started to shoot at it, diverting the monster's attention. Zoey ran over to the destroyed reception area and took the officer's submachine gun and shotgun. She used the shotgun strap to put it over her shoulder and sighed as she cocked the submachine gun.

Zoey ran for the tank, determined to destroy it. It was slowly cornering the last SWAT officer. Zoey began shooting, causing the beast to be confused. It roared and punched its fists into the ground, pulling a chunk of concrete and tossed it through the air. The block went straight into the SWAT officer, knocking him over, dead. The force of the impact caused the chandeliers to shake again, making a chiming noise that diverted Zoey's attention.

'Oh I should have done this before...' she muttered. She took the shotgun in one hand and began firing the submachine gun in the other. She didn't hit a lot, but she did attract the tank's attention. It ran toward her and Zoey dropped the submachine gun. She jumped back so that the chandelier was a little bit in front of her and took aim. As the tank swung its massive fists for a devastating punch, Zoey pulled the trigger. The chandelier exploded and fell straight down to the ground, crashing into the tank. The monster roared as it was crushed under the massive weight. Zoey stepped away and sighed. 'I think I found a cure,' she said out of breath. She suddenly realised that she was alone, a very dangerous position to be in. She was torn between running into certain danger in the basement, or going back upstairs where there were no infected. So far.

Unfortunately for her, Zoey had no time to think as the tank behind her roared louder than before. It punched the chandelier off itself and ran straight for her. Zoey blasted at it with the shotgun as she tried to keep away from it.

*

A set of double doors separated Dennis, Graham and the remaining SWAT members from the office of the Director. Dennis kicked through and the team stormed inside. Before them was a luxurious looking office with soft carpets, large bookcases against the walls and a grand table in front of a huge window that made the entire back wall. The sky was darkening; a faint orange glow was shrinking slowly below the horizon.

'Where is he?' Dennis thought aloud, lowering his weapon. Graham ran around the desk and looked at the computer that had been left there. A brandy glass was next to it, now empty. The computer was password protected.

'What do you think this guy has as a password?' Graham asked. He looked around for inspiration, even examining the computer itself. There was a flap that could be pulled out on the side of it. Graham pulled it and a small pad came out. Touching it, the computer beeped and scanned his fingerprint. The computer beeped at him, informing him that his fingerprint was not recognised. Graham checked the desk draws for clues to the password but all he found was some stationary, some paperwork and supplies including a sellotape dispenser with AID printed over it. 'This guy sure is boring...' Graham muttered.

'We should focus on finding him,' Dennis ordered. 'Split up and search the entire floor.' Graham stayed put, trying to break into the computer. He wondered why the Director would leave information that could be used against him just lying around casually.

*

Francis was being dragged away. Bill attempted to grab him but stumbled and fell to the ground. Dropping his pistol, Francis struggled as the smoker pulled him toward his doom. The gun fired a shot when it landed, catching the attention of the witch that had been brutally tearing Chris apart. The beast screamed and ran for him. Anna was pushed aside as the witch ran past her. Rolling along the ground, she took a shot. From about thirty feet, she managed to shoot the smoker in the face, causing Francis to fall on the ground. Safe from the smoker, but not the witch, Francis looked and saw the monster heading straight for him. There was no way he would be able to get away in time. Anna had inadvertently doomed Francis to a more mortifying death.

In the few seconds he had left, he looked away from the glowing red eyes and over to the nearest person, Bill. He remembered how they had first met; Francis riding his motorcycle through the city, causing a great disturbance that attracted the horde. Bill had saved his life right then and there. He had saved his life many other times. He thought back to after he had first met Louis in the operations room of the subway. They had heard of rescue; a helicopter rescue no less, from the roof of the hospital. Excited, Francis had run into the offices and broke the windows by throwing a computer monitor through it so that he could call for assistance. While the helicopter flew away, the monitor smacked into a witch that was sat below on the street.

Insane, the witch roared at him with unbelievable force and scrambled through the building; her sole purpose to kill him. It broke into the room where he was hiding and pounced on top of him. Had it not been for Bill pushing her off him and using a homemade bomb to blow her to smithereens, Francis would not be here right now. He would not be in the same position he had been all those months ago, about to be killed by a witch.

There was a loud roar but it was not made by the witch. As it got within inches from Francis, Zoey dived out of the stairwell, hastily followed by a tank that tore through the walls. The force of the crash knocked the witch off balance and Francis used this opportunity to kick it in the face. As she stumbled, he got to his feet and put an arm around her neck and his other hand on her face. As quick as he could, he pulled with all of his might and after a sickly crack, the witch flopped dead.

However, after all this time combating the witch, Francis was unaware of how close the tank had got.

'Here!' Zoey screamed, throwing Francis the shotgun. Francis caught it and ran with her along with Bill and Anna down the corridor, the tank following close behind. As it tore through the hallway, it crushed the gun Francis had dropped and one of the ornaments from the chandelier fell and shattered on the ground next to it.

*

Graham tried several different things he could think of to try and get into the computer. Dennis returned with the other SWAT members, clearing having no luck in finding the Director.

'I gave you an order,' Dennis said scathingly.

'If he's nowhere to be found,' Graham explained, 'then there might be something on the computer. Like a code to turn the bookcases around or something.'

'Americans...' Dennis sighed. The computer beeped, alerting Graham that he had entered the incorrect password. Again. 'Did you try password?' Dennis asked sarcastically.

'No!' Graham entered it enthusiastically. It was wrong.

'How about AID?'

'Ironic name for his company,' Graham commented. 'Considering he wiped out the whole of America.'

'I think it's more of an ego thing,' Dennis added. 'The AI Director... that guy must be so far up his own-' The computer beeped again, but the noise was different. Graham had gained access.

'We're in!' he cried merrily.

'Unbelievable,' Dennis gasped. He moved to see the screen. There were a lot of files that seemed to carry an air of importance to them. Graham looked through a few and they all had a common theme; the virus. 'This is excellent...' Dennis muttered. 'Stay here and look through this. Retrieve all of the data. I'm going to give An... Shepherd some assistance.' Graham nodded and Dennis ran off, alone. He tried calling Anna over the radio but was answered with static.

*

There was one remaining place to go; the laboratories. Anna, Bill, Zoey and Francis had managed to make it to there alive but as they entered they knew that they were now trapped by the tank. The beast crashed through with ease and roared as it charged for them. The containment cage was over to the back of the room. Still intact, the survivors ran for it as fast as they could. Bill got there first and unlocked the door, opening it for everyone to get through. Anna, Francis and Zoey dived inside and Bill slammed it shut behind him as the tank crashed into the wall, causing the entire area to shake violently but still remain intact. He stepped away and took a breath.

'We okay?' he asked. He heard a shriek behind him. Bill turned and was surprised to see a bed in the middle of the room. He was even more surprised to see Louis lying down in it.

Zoey ran up to the bed. Louis was strapped down to it and was completely delirious. Zoey put her hand on his head, to check his temperature and immediately began removing the restraints. Louis eyes focused on her and he smiled. Everything seemed to change around him. He was no longer in the sterile laboratory but in the small, cosy office in the subway station that he and Zoey had run to in order to escape from the horde. He was lying down on the bed, injured and Zoey was administering first aid. His hand was holding hers. Despite the immense pain that he felt, he was happy, the happiest he had been since the crisis began.

'You had me worried there,' he remembered her say as she applied some bandages. She was good at taking care of him. He felt so weak; he wanted to be the one to take care of her. He felt that he owed it to her after everything she had done for him.

'We can't live like this,' Louis had told her, believing that everything would only get worse and if things did get worse there was no way they could survive. 'I'm not saying we give up; I'm saying we end it. On our terms.' Louis soon felt a sharp pain slap across his cheek as Zoey smacked him.

'How dare you even suggest that?' she spat angrily. He could not understand why she reacted so strongly. A suicide pact would be the better option in comparison to leaving themselves at the mercy of the monsters that replaced sanity up on the streets. He never noticed Zoey scratching her wrist, bandaged by wounds not inflected by the infected. 'I refuse to give up on you!' Zoey cried, making her way to leave.

'Or us...' she finished. Louis now looked up to her affectionately. Zoey had removed the restraints and he lifted his arm up. Those words she had said in the office were still in his mind and he moved over to her. Zoey grabbed his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. Smiling, Zoey felt him squeeze back.

'What the hell is he doing here?' Francis asked, voicing the question that everyone else was thinking.

'You know him?' Anna asked.

'He was one of our...' Bill started but could not finish.

'We were all a team,' Zoey told her, look away from Louis and up at Bill and Francis. 'All of us. We escaped together.'

'Together...' Louis muttered.

'What's wrong with him?' Zoey asked, not sure whether or not she wanted an answer.

'If he's down here,' Anna thought aloud, 'then it can't be good.'

'They... injected me,' Louis said, breathing heavily. 'Stronger... virus. Might be... unsafe. Get out, now...'

'Son, we'd love to,' Bill groaned, 'but right now there's crazy zombie shit going on out there and this is the safest place to be.'

'Gramps!' Louis cried, causing Francis to grin. 'How are you, man? I thought... I thought you'd be old.'

'Say again?' Bill stepped forward.

'He's delirious,' Zoey said. 'He doesn't know what he's saying...' Near the bed was a small table with papers and notes on it, along with medical equipment, syringes and empty vials. Anna was reading through some documents and looked over to Louis, her eyebrows raised, interested.

'He's infected...' she muttered.

'Yes,' Zoey cried. 'What can we do? Is there an antidote?'

'We went down that path with Jaeger,' Francis said bluntly. 'There's no chance.'

'Jaeger?'Anna looked up. 'Richard Jaeger? He's infected?' Francis nodded. 'My God...'

'But...' Zoey persisted. 'We're in this lab! Surely there must be something!'

'This lab has been torn to shit by those infected bastards!' Bill cried. 'There's no way we can salvage anything out there, let alone a cure.'

'They tried to find a cure,' Anna thought aloud, 'by analysing the DNA of those naturally immune... They figured that if they found what made you immune, they could use it to create a cure.'

'But they didn't,' Bill told her. 'As I'm sure you know; they couldn't figure out how to make a cure, because the virus mutates so much in people's bodies as soon as they're infected, they can't determine what it is to start off with. If they did manage to do that; this wouldn't be happening!'

'Louis has been given a sample of the virus that's five times more potent that the original,' Anna informed them, looking up from the chart.

'How can it be five times more potent?' Francis asked. Anna shrugged.

'The important thing is that he's not succumbing to the infection,' she said. 'He's just sick.'

'What are you getting at?' Zoey asked, an insecure tone to her voice.

'Louis still has the virus in its purest form inside his body!' Anna announced. 'The reason virus samples can't be gathered from the zombies is because it mutates dramatically when they succumb to infection, or that's the theory anyway. If a sample could be studied, it could be possible to use it to find a cure to it.'

'That means...' Francis said before Zoey interrupted.

'Inside Louis' blood is a cure for the infected!' Anna nodded to her. She took a syringe and an empty vial from the table and stepped over to Louis.

'We should get a blood sample right now!' she said. Louis nodded, gradually becoming aware of everything. 'Now you might feel a little prick,' Anna warned him. Louis laughed.

'Francis is a prick,' Louis giggled as the syringe went in his arm.

'Hey!' Francis moaned.

'Don't worry, man,' Louis waved with his other arm. 'I love you really.' He looked over to Zoey and stared deep into her eyes. 'I love you, too.' Zoey looked down at him, slightly taken back by the frankness of his statement. She swallowed hard continued holding his hand. Her grip tightened a little and she nodded, a faint smile on her face. Anna stepped back and put the sample into the empty vial. She sighed and held it up to the light.

'This is the most valuable thing on the planet, right now,' she announced.

'We can cure Jaeger!' Zoey said with glee.

'First things first,' Bill said, stepping forward. 'How do we get past the tank?' Through the bars, they saw the tank smashing apart the remains of the laboratory.

*

Dennis stepped into the reception area and flinched as he saw the remains of the SWAT team spread all over the floor. Graham's voice spoke in his ear as he made his way toward the basement.

'Hey, Roth,' he said. 'You got a sec?'

'What is it?' Dennis asked, heading down the steps.

'Looking at the information on the Director's computer,' Graham started, 'it seems that the virus released below was more potent than the one that swept across America meaning that those infected will probably mutate and become stronger.'

'Good to know...' Dennis muttered, his voice burdened with worry.

'Also,' Graham said, 'I think I might have found where the Director could be hiding.'

'Oh?' Dennis asked, intrigued.

'Yeah in the basement there's a wall that's actually a door... if you get my meaning.' Dennis stepped out of the stairwell and was in the sterile corridors. It was obvious that a lot had happened down here. Part of the doorframe had been torn out and there were blood and bullet holes all over the walls and floor. Dennis looked around.

'Can you open it from there?' Dennis asked.

'I've been working on that. I'm trying different passwords.' Dennis sighed.

'Alright. Graham, keep working on it. I'm gonna look for Anna.'

'Understood...' Graham nodded, typing into the computer feverishly. Dennis, meanwhile, followed the trail of destruction that was before him. The corridors were hauntingly silent. Dennis looked around at the T-junction and stepped around Chris' grim corpse. In the distance, down the corridor, he heard faint sounds of smashing and crashing, accompanied by angry and frustrated roars. Slowly making his way down the corridor in the direction of the noise, Dennis gripped his gun tightly, knowing that it would probably do little against whatever was making the noise. He turned another corner and another, edging slowly into the Director's mortifying labyrinth. Dennis found it strange that he had not encountered any infected yet, as the entire laboratory staff had been exposed. Stepping inside the laboratory, Dennis soon found out why.

Most of the infected had probably been killed accidentally by the tank, which was now smashing on the cage that the others were in. Surprised, Dennis stepped back as he saw the sight. He wasn't sure where the fifth survivor, Louis, had come from but he did not have the luxury to start asking questions. Anna looked out of the cage and saw Dennis. She waved madly at him, trying to get him to run.

Breathing heavily, Dennis thought about what to do. He could call for reinforcements but the tank was incredibly strong and the secured bars on the cage were beginning to bend and show some wear. Looking up, Dennis cocked his gun. Breathing even more heavily, he tapped his earpiece.

'Graham,' he said with a slight stutter. 'I'm at the main laboratory... Can you direct me from here to the area where the Director may be hiding?' His voice attracted the tank's attention. It stopped attacking the wall and looked over to Dennis.

'I... think so,' Graham said, bringing up a set of blueprints.

'Good...' Dennis aimed his weapon. 'Tell me, now!' From the secured room, Anna and the others heard a couple of gunshots over the tanks growls. As the bullets hit, the beast let out a tremendous howl and ran after Dennis, who was running down the hall.

'We have to help him!' Anna cried.

'No!' Bill said defiantly. 'We have to get this blood sample to those guys at Waterloo.'

'You guys can do it,' Anna said, throwing the vial over to Bill. 'I'm helping Dennis!' Anna made a hasty departure from the laboratories, leaving the four survivors alone. Zoey took the shotgun and Bill and Francis took a pistol each while they shouldered Louis, helping him to his feet. They slowly made their way out of the laboratory and down the corridor toward the stairwell.

Slightly further ahead, Dennis ran as fast as he could but the tank was catching up with him. Graham was directing him further inside the maze of corridors and Dennis had lost all bearings. Anna was also going as fast as she could but she stopped and looked around when she reached an unfamiliar junction. She looked around desperately, realising that she was lost. Dennis turned a corner and ran down a long corridor that was sloping down slightly.

'It should be right ahead of you,' Graham announced. Up ahead was a dead end. How the Director managed to get here quickly was a mystery but Dennis had not time to figure it out.

'I see a wall,' Dennis gasped. 'No door!' Graham tried entering more passwords.

'I can't get it open!' he cried.

'Try AID!' Dennis instructed.

'Already did,' Graham said, worried. Dennis was getting closer.

'Try... virus!'

'Nope...'

'Infection?' Dennis was getting closer.

'Nothing.'

'Avery Ingram? AI? Director? Cure? ANYTHING!' A flustered Graham typed feverishly but gained no results. He banged the table and the fingerprint scanner popped out of the computer slot. He looked at it and then looked over to the empty brandy glass. Time running out, Graham ripped out the desk draw and took the sellotape dispenser. He pulled out a strand and looked closely at the glass. He saw some faint fingerprints. Sticking it to the glass, Graham smoothed the tape out before pulling it off and moving it over to the scanner. He placed it down as firmly as he could and the computer made a beep.

Dennis was only meters away from the dead end before the wall started to slide away.

'Close it!' he yelled, diving through the narrow gap. Graham obeyed and closed the doorway before the tank could even think about smashing through. The beast crashed into the wall and fell back, roaring in anger. On the other side, Dennis fell to his knees, panting. Graham sat back in the chair and breathed a sigh of relief.

*

Turning left down the familiar junction, the four survivors had the stairs leading out of the underground corridors in front of them.

'This is just like old times, eh?' Louis joked.

'Except we weren't carrying your ass all the time,' Bill said.

'Well if you think about it...' Francis muttered.

'I may be useless,' Louis said loudly, 'but now my blood holds the key to the survival of mankind!'

'Don't you think that's a bit overly dramatic?' Zoey smiled, looking around. 'And you're not useless.' A blubbering moan echoed all around them. Zoey stopped and put her hand up.

'Boomer!' she whispered. The boomer's groans seemed to come from every direction, echoing around the hallway.

Anna was running in any direction that seemed right to her. She either ran into dead ends or came to locked doors. She made her way around a set of corners and stopped to catch her breath. From around a corner, a lone infected shuffled around. It looked up at her. Anna aimed her gun at it but the infected let out a sudden and loud high pitched shriek that tore through the walls and could be heard even from the outside. Anna dropped her gun and put her hands to her ears to block out the noise. The other four survivors also heard it and covered their own ears.

'Jesus, what's that?' Bill cried. Anna took her gun and took a shot at the screamer. One shot to the head and it collapsed, dead. The ringing in Anna's ears was almost unbearable. Her nose was bleeding slightly and her limbs were shaking. It was the most frightful noise she had ever heard. From the corner in front of her, two infected ran around, straight for her. Anna managed to shoot them before they got close. Looking behind, Anna saw another two infected heading her way. She shot them dead before they were too great a threat. The ringing subsided in her ears and was replaced by another noise, one almost as frightening as the scream. It was the howl of the infected and the shuffling of so many feet running for her. The floodgates opened and a huge barrage of infected emerged from the corner in front of her. An uncountable number of infected were running straight for her. Anna turned and her heart sank. Another large number of infected were coming from behind her as well. She was trapped. In the distance, she heard the roar of the tank.

'Oh dear God...' she gasped just before the infected swarmed all over her. A blur of hands began to punch and scratch at her. Anna screamed and fell to the ground as the horde started to tear her apart.

The other four survivors had heard the infected and decided to pick up the pace.

'We gotta go, now!' Zoey ordered, running to the stairwell with the others close behind. Zoey made it inside and ran up the first flight of stairs. She ran into the boomer that was making the noise before. The creature swung at her, knocking her down. As she fell down the stairs, the boomer vomited over her as the other three entered the stairwell, also being splashed with bile. Zoey fired the shotgun accidentally as she fell, causing the boomer to explode in a disgusting mixture of bile, blood and flesh.

'Oh shit!' Bill wiped the bile out of his eyes. 'I can't see!'

'This is disgusting...' Francis muttered.

'Shush!' Louis cried. There was a shuffling noise heading for them. Zoey stood up, wiping the bile off her.

'I'm fine by the way,' she muttered.

'Zoey, shush!' Francis told her. They all heard it; the shuffling of hundreds of infected heading right for them.

'Oh dear God...' Zoey gasped.

Anna was lying on the ground, being ignored by the infected. They were running over her, trampling on her as they ran for the other four survivors. Curled up, Anna was protecting her head with her arms. The tank ran right past her, crushing several infected in its path. As they went out of sight, Anna tried to get up. Beaten, scratched and bruised, she crawled along the ground slightly. Attempting to stand, Anna felt great pain as she tried to use her legs. Looking down at them, she realised that they were broken. One side of her face was covered in blood that was dripping over to the other side. She spat out some blood, breathing heavily, and stopped moving. She could not move. Her radio was destroyed, her weapon was not in her hand. Anna looked around desperately for it. Her wounds were fatal. She must have been infected with the virus as well. Spitting out another mouthful of blood, she rolled over and saw her pistol about ten meters down the hall. She used all of her energy and started to crawl over to it. She only needed one round.

The horde began to attack the other four survivors. Taking aim, Bill and Francis began shooting while Zoey knelt in front of Louis and blasted any that got close with her shotgun. They were managing to keep them at bay until the tank emerged from the corner and stormed toward them.

'Shit,' Bill cried. 'Move!' Francis threw his weapon to Bill and picked Louis up over his shoulder. Reloading, Bill threw the weapon to Louis who took aim as Francis ran. Zoey kept firing back as they ran up the stairs. Emerging in the reception, Zoey announced that she had a plan. Running for the main entrance, the tank burst through the wall and threw a large chunk of concrete at them. Dispersing, the survivors avoided the missile and it crashed along the ground, smashing through the main doors.

Jumping over the debris, the survivors were outside. Zoey told Francis to run. Bill handed him the vial and winked.

'See you soon, kid,' he said. Francis ran as fast as he could.

'Go!' Zoey shouted at the police officers. 'Get people out of here, now!' The tank burst out of the entrance and threw the same chunk of concrete at them. It smashed into a SWAT fan, knocking it over. Zoey and Bill fired at it, making sure they had its attention. The Tank roared and stormed for them. Jumping over a small fence, Bill and Zoey ran for the Thames. Stopping at the public barrier, they turned to face the tank and looked over to each other.

'You ready?' Bill asked. Zoey winked and cocked the shotgun.

'Let's do this!' Firing at the tank, Bill and Zoey stepped toward it slowly. The gap between them closed, the tank screaming and the Bill and Zoey shooting, standing tall. Its fists ready, the tank moved to punch. Closer and closer, the two prepared to act. As it got within a few feet, Bill and Zoey jumped to the left and right, letting the tank run past. The beast managed to punch Bill, however and he was smashed over the fence. Zoey ran to the tank and used all of her force and weight to push it over the fence and fell over into the Thames. The tank roared as it fell into the water. Screaming, the beast tried to keep afloat but it's huge mass made it sink under the surface, massive bubbles and ripples left in its wake.

'Bill!' Zoey cried, looking over the fence. 'Bill!' she screamed again, searching for him. Floating on the water, she saw hit beret floating. 'Oh God...' Breathing heavily, Zoey threw the shotgun aside and dived into the water. The visibility was poor as she looked through the darkness. Desperate, Zoey started to swim down. The longer she spent, the harder it was. She was soon running out of breath. Zoey stopped swimming and took another look around. She could not see Bill. Bill was out of sight. Zoey knew that she would hate herself if she left him but could not swim down any further. She started to swim back up but stopped. A single cigarette floated up in front of her. She reached out and took it. Holding it tight, Zoey gritted her teeth and did a final push to swim back down. Her head hurt under the pressure and she almost could not see anything. However something had caught her eye, a silhouetted figure a few feet away. Zoey swam over to it and grabbed it. Holding on to his shoulders, Zoey found Bill and pulled his head close to hers. She opened his mouth and breathed the last of her air into his lungs. Then, holding on as tight as she could, she swam up to the surface. Following the bubbles, she kicked her legs as fast as she could. Faster and faster, the surface got closer and closer. Zoey's vision started to blur as she got closer to her goal. It then started to darken and Zoey felt so weak that she could not take it anymore... on the surface, Bill's beret floated alone in the darkness, the air bubbles near it disappearing.

Zoey's head broke the surface so suddenly that she wasn't expecting it. She head emerged right where the beret was, and it was now on her head. Coughing heavily, she spat out a large mouthful of water. Zoey lifted Bill above the water and used the last of her energy to swim over ledge. Lifting Bill onto it, Zoey pulled herself and Bill over to safety. Breathing heavily and feeling weaker than she had ever felt, Zoey put her head to Bill's chest. She tilted his head up and opened his mouth.

'Not now,' she said with a stutter, breathing into his mouth. She lifted her head away and started pushing down on his chest. 'God, damn it, Bill. Not now!' She pushed hard a few times and breathed into his mouth once again. Lifting her head away, a few tears formed in her eyes and ran down her cheek. She pushed harder on Bill's chest. 'Damn it, Bill! Get up!' She was pushing so hard that she started to cry. Breathing into Bill's mouth again, her breath was cut up by emotional weeps. She began punching his chest, trying to get a reaction. Zoey moved to his mouth and two of her tears fell onto him. Breathing in once again, a sudden mouthful of water was spat up, splashing onto the ground. Bill rolled over and started choking up another mouthful of water. Wheezing and gasping, he choked and spluttered as Zoey wiped the tears from her eyes. She held his hand and rubbed his back.

'Damn...' Bill spat. 'I'm... getting to old for this horse shit.' She choked again and moved onto his back. Zoey looked up and saw Francis and Louis looking down on them.

'We'll be alright!' Zoey cried. 'Get someone to come and help and then get to Waterloo! There's still time to save Jaeger!' Francis nodded and he and Louis moved away as fast as they could.

*

Dennis made his way through the secret area on the underground complex. His connection with Graham was breaking up.

'I'm probably going to hit some inference,' he said. 'Look out for Anna and make sure she's doing alright.'

'Roger that,' Graham said. 'I'm sending reinforcements, too. You sure you'll be alright?'

'I'll be fine,' Dennis smiled. 'Talk to you soon.' He made his way down a dark passage that was floored with a metallic catwalk. His footsteps echoing down the passage, he knew that if the Director was here; he'd be able to hear him. Readying his weapon, Dennis took a deep breath and continued forward. He could not believe the day he was having. Everything was happening so fast that he barley had any time to process it. All he knew now was that the Director was ahead of him and it was time for him to pay. The path turned into a set of deep stairs that lead to a path that went under a large bump in the ceiling. The path then turned into another set of stairs that ran up to a metal trap door. Stepping up through the door, Dennis looked around for the Director. There was a room up ahead and a door right behind him. Underneath the door, a wind was blowing through. Dennis closed the trap door and opened the next door slightly. On the other side were train tracks and a dimly lit tunnel.

'The underground?' Dennis muttered. He closed the door and went to explore the large room that was up ahead. The sight before him was remarkable; the room was large and circular with the walls being occupied by large monitors up high and computers much lower. The monitors displayed news channels with most of the topics focusing on Waterloo. There were tables in the centre with documents scattered over it, more computers and other materials which Dennis needed to look at. A small briefcase sat on the desk close to Dennis. For some reason it had caught his eye. Stepping over to it, he opened the case. Inside was a vial that was encased in foam to protect it.

'The virus...' Dennis thought aloud.

'That would be correct,' a voice behind him said, causing Dennis to jump in shock. He turned and aimed his weapon at the Director who stood behind him, both hands placed on his cane that was resting in front of him.

'Avery Ingram,' Dennis said defiantly, 'you're under arrest!' The Director smiled and shook his head.

'I don't think I am...' he said flatly. Dennis took a step back and his foot caught something. It was an arm. A body was underneath the table. Dennis looked up at the Director. 'Just one of my conspirators,' he explained to him. 'We can't have the true meaning of recent events getting out, now can we?'

'Oh I think it's a little late for that,' Dennis growled.

'You think so?' the Director sighed. 'I couldn't possibly comment.'

'I couldn't possibly give a damn,' Dennis stepped forward and took the vial out of the suitcase. 'This is all we need to put you away.'

'Yes,' the Director nodded. 'That and the information on my computer... which will never be seen again.'

In the Director's office, a SWAT member was looking at the computer. The screen went blank and the base unit began to spark and sizzle. One of the panels fell off, showing the internal circuitry. It was all burnt and destroyed.

'As for the evidence Jaeger had managed to find over the last six months...' the Director continued. 'Well... it may have been enough to warrant a search of my building but this entire area will now be quarantined and destroyed, since you brought in people who were exposed at Waterloo station and spread the infection here.'

'That was you, you son of a bitch,' Dennis spat.

'Yes... but few would believe it.' Dennis sighed angrily and the Director stepped forward and held his hand out. 'Now hand me the sample.'

'You're joking, right?' Dennis laughed sarcastically. He was surprised when the Director shook his head.

'No, I need it. It'll be in good hands.'

'Until it's leaked and spreads again,' Dennis said angrily, 'wiping out another billion people!'

'You think I'm responsible for the infection that destroyed Canada and North and South America?' Dennis let out another sarcastic laugh.

'Well you've got the virus and the lab!'

'You've got a gun,' the Director nodded. 'Do you use that to kill everyone you see?'

'Only if you've robbed them of their humanity,' Dennis muttered, feeling rather angry.

'I can understand your resentment toward me,' the Director took a few more steps. 'But I am not the one responsible for killing your family.'

'How did you...?' Dennis asked, genuinely shocked.

'I took the liberty of running a few checks before you raided my building,' the Director explained. 'Certain elements in the government wish for my work to continue.'

'You're mad,' Dennis spat.

'No, I'm considerate!' the Director shouted. 'You think I was responsible for that viral outbreak? No. No I certainly was not. It was a natural infection.'

'Bullshit,' Dennis said dismissively.

'It's as natural as SARS, bird or swine flu,' the Director insisted. 'AID was set up to examine potentially dangerous infections and disease and find cures for them. That's why swine flu never wiped out half the population or why bird flu drifted away into distant memory. This new virus was discovered two years ago and we've been researching it ever since. However, it was such a dangerously unique infection that it was almost impossible to develop a cure or vaccination in the time frame we had.'

'The time frame?' Dennis lowered his gun. 'What are you talking about?'

'This infection was reported in a few isolated areas around Cuba,' the Director said. 'We realised that a global pandemic was a likely reality so we had to do something about it. I set up CEDA to try and develop a protection service for the local communities of the world; to try and stop the infection from spreading when it showed up. However, I was only successful in containing it to the west. Without CEDA, the infection would have spread across the world and we would be facing extinction now as those infected would attempt to kill those who were immune.'

'That's a little farfetched,' Dennis held his gun up again.

'Well it's the truth,' the Director said genuinely. Dennis could not tell how genuine he was being, however. 'We picked up selected people who had survived to test and experiment for the greater good. We were close to developing a cure but now you've impeded our efforts by storming the building.'

'Why did you kill your research team?' Dennis asked. 'And why did you try to kill those four survivors who were connected to Richard Jaeger?'

'The researchers...' the Director murmured. 'They wouldn't be able to keep quiet about this. I couldn't risk letting the cat out of the bag when we're so close. As for the survivors... that was a personal thing. They ruined my plans. If they did not interfere on the Abraham Lincoln, then most of this could have been avoided. I infected Waterloo station, as well, to try and distract you and get it through your heads that the way I work is necessary to keep the human race alive. It was the same for Luton airport.'

'I dunno about anyone else,' Dennis said, 'but I'd rather die than kill people for some greater good.' He held the vial tight. 'This is the last sample, isn't it?'

'Pardon?' the Director asked.

'What I'm holding,' Dennis nodded, knowing what he was going to do. 'It's the last sample of your virus.'

'Don't be stupid!' the Director cried. 'It was so difficult to obtain a pure sample! Do not destroy it.'

'If I do,' Dennis smiled, 'there'll be no chance for you to hurt anyone else.'

'If you do,' the Director yelled, 'there'll be no chance for me to save anyone at all!' Dennis looked over to him. 'That virus is a naturally occurring thing, like the common cold, only immeasurably deadly! Even if you destroy it, there will be another outbreak and we may not survive.'

'We survived the last one,' Dennis noted.

'With my help!' the Director said loudly. 'If you destroy that, we'll lose any chance of developing a type of cure or vaccination. If you destroy that, you'll be signing the death warrants of the entire human race!' Dennis hesitated. The Director stepped forward, close to him. 'Your wife and daughter... they perished in America. I read your file.' Dennis nodded. 'If you destroy that vial, their deaths will be in vain. More people would die just like it. Think of them. Think of your family. Think of... agent Shepherd.' Dennis looked up and into the Director's eyes. They were not the eyes of a super evil ruler of a ruthless and greedy corporation; they were the eyes of a compassionate and caring, perhaps misguided, individual. The Director held out his hand.

'Please, Dennis,' he said softly. 'It might be hard to believe but I do want to help you.' It was the hardest choice Dennis had ever been forced to make, but he made it nonetheless. The vial dropped out of his hand and fell into the hand of the Director's. He closed his eyes and sighed. 'I will develop a cure for this,' he nodded. 'I promise you.'

The Director suddenly swung his cane through the air, striking Dennis across the face. His gun went flying through the air as he fell to the ground. The Director stepped over him and stamped his foot on his chest. He put his cane over Dennis' neck. Dennis grabbed the end of it but the Director increased the pressure on his foot, getting more control over him. He looked Dennis in his shocked and angry eyes.

'It's the only way,' he said apologetically as he pushed the cane into Dennis' throat, tearing through his skin and coming out on the other side, hitting the floor. Dennis spat out a mouthful of blood as the Director pulled the cane out and shook the blood off. His arms fell limply to the ground and a pool of blood began forming around his head. The Director sighed and loaded the vial into the briefcase and took out his mobile phone. He dialled a number and made his way toward the door the led to the underground. 'Hello, Sam. Did you get out alright?'

'Yes,' said Sam, the assassin. 'I got out of BCF custody over an hour ago. They had no one there who could do anything about it...'

'Perfect,' the Director smiled. 'Now I want you to go to Waterloo. The detectives there have the evidence Richard Jaeger got on me.'

'Don't worry,' Sam said with a voice full of pride. 'I'm right outside the perimeter of the quarantine zone. I passed myself off as an officer and I'm holding all of the evidence in my hand as we speak.' The Director stopped moving and grinned. 'I was debating whether to destroy it now or let you do the honours.'

'Do it now,' the Director ordered. Sam threw the memory stick to the floor and stamped on it. He crushed it several times and then grinded the remaining components into the pavement.

'All done,' he smiled.

'Perfect,' the Director grinned. 'I'm about to make my exit. I want you to find out where Francis is.'

'He's still alive?' Sam asked, surprised.

'Yes he is,' the Director said. 'I still have a score to settle with him...' Sam interrupted him.

'You'll never believe this,' he said, 'but a police escort just showed up... Francis just got out of the vehicle, along with Louis!'

'Those survivors are resilient, I'll give them that,' the Director muttered. 'Leave Louis, just take Francis. Do you understand?'

'We'll meet you at the location?' Sam asked.

'No,' the Director said. 'I'm going to get on the yacht. We need to lay low for a while. We'll develop the cure at the labs in China.'

'I'll see you at the yacht,' Sam hung up the phone, stepping toward Francis. The Director had everything with him and stepped out onto the tracks of the underground. The trains had been suspended due to the Waterloo attacks and so he casually walked down the tracks.

*

Louis was managing to walk, thanks to the adrenalin injection he was given outside of AID. He and Francis reported to the quarantine doctors and Francis handed over the vial. Sam stood close, within earshot.

'It's a blood sample,' Francis told them. Louis gave him a sarcastic look, telling him that he was stating the obvious. 'It has a sample of the virus inside it,' Francis elaborated. 'A pure sample, I think.' Sam looked shocked and stepped away, taking out his phone. He couldn't get through to the Director, due to the interference, but he left a message.

'We've got a problem,' he said.

Francis and Louis finished explaining the circumstances to the doctors, who were examining the blood sample.

'This is a pure sample,' the doctor said, excitedly. 'We should be able to synthesise a cure with this!'

'I'll tell Jaeger!' Francis beamed, leaving the tent.

'How long will it take?' Louis asked.

Francis was at the viewing area and saw that Jaeger was the only one left inside the quarantine tent. The rest of the people had been taken away. Jaeger was leaning with one arm against the support post, holding his head. He was sweating a lot and looked very uncomfortable. He must not have a lot of time left, Francis thought.

'Hey, Jaeger!' Francis tapped the plastic wall to get his attention. 'We have good news!' Jaeger looked over to Francis who took a step back.

Jaeger's face was expressionless. His eyes were empty and dead. He shuffled a few steps over to Francis and let out a breath. He suddenly jumped up to the plastic and started scratching at it, yelling and growling insanely. His eyes had turned angry and mad. Jaeger had succumbed to the infection. Francis stepped back as two quarantine officers stepped inside. Jaeger tried to attack them but they gave him an electric shock with an object resembling a cattle prod and he staged back and fell down. His face looked over to Francis. Jaeger's eyes were void of all feeling, all emotion and all life. He was dead.

*

The stairs leading to the Westminster underground station had a good view of the London Eye and the AID building. The flashes of the emergency vehicles could be seen from over the river. Stepping up from the station, the Director walked a few paces and breathed some fresh air. He looked over to his building and casually strolled away, down the street.

**A/N: Stay tuned as the final chapter will be coming to you very soon. All comments are appreciated and welcomed; I'd really love to hear your thoughts and opinions. The final, unmissable part will be with you, very shortly so keep an eye out and thank you for reading. **


	18. Ground Zero

_**Author's Note: Welcome to the final instalment of my Left 4 Dead series. Thank you very much for reading and I hope you enjoyed everything you've read. I'd also like to thank everyone who had reviewed, I really do appreciate them. Please let me know what you think of the end and everything in general. I'll shut up now and let you read. I hope you enjoy. - Andy**_

18. Ground Zero

Clouds were beginning to form above the city of London, a city in turmoil. The sun had dropped below the horizon being replaced by the full moon and a few stars scattered around in the sky. Next to the Thames, the AID building stood in the shadow of the London Eye. The courtyard outside was in ruins. A SWAT van was on its side and the police officers holding up the perimeter had retreated to a safer distance. There was no civilian presence; everyone had been pulled away to a safe distance. It would be better if they did not see what was about to happen next.

Bill and Zoey were beside the Thames, resting after their ordeal. Bill's head was against Zoey's chest.

'You think it's over?' Zoey asked. Bill shook his head.

'This is just the beginning,' he said feebly. 'Unless Louis' blood can make a cure.' Zoey put her arm around Bill's head and squeezed.

'I'm scared,' she said. There was a brief pause.

'So am I...' Bill said truthfully. Zoey sighed and closed her eyes. A few feet above them in the courtyard, an unmarked van drove inside rather quickly. It came to an immediate stop, the tyres screeching on the ground. The back doors opened and ten heavily armed men stormed out into the courtyard. They wore urban camouflage as a uniform with balaclavas obscuring their faces. They each had burly backpacks and held fierce assault rifles with heavy duty shotguns as backup weapons. Their leader emerged from the van, dressed differently from his subordinates. He wore woodland camouflage without a balaclava. He had ginger hair styled in a buzz cut. His eyes were a dull blue and his face was scarred and blotched. It was the face of a soldier.

'Set the explosives,' he ordered. 'Go inside and make sure you place them in the proper locations. We need to ensure that there's nothing left.' His men nodded and ran off.

Coming down the stairs, Graham and the last two SWAT members were moving to escape. He had lost contact with Anna and Dennis had seemingly gone out of range. Emerging into the reception, Graham paused and tried contacting them again. The two SWAT members went ahead.

'Anna? Dennis? Do you read me?' he asked. His only answer was static. He took his earpiece out and followed the SWAT team. Stepping through the reception, he saw the two SWAT members in front of him suddenly get shot down dead. Dropping the earpiece, Graham dived across the reception, dodging the bullets. He jumped into the stairwell that went down to the basement and put his back against the wall, away from the shots. 'Hold your fire!' he yelled. He looked around the corner into the reception. 'I'm not infected!' A few more shots came his way. Graham looked down the stairs. He was unsure of what to do. Graham suddenly decided what to do. He ran down the stairs toward the basement. He was going to head for the secret area that Dennis was investigating. Whoever these new people were, they surely would be unable to find him there. Emerging in the underground corridors, Graham ran as fast as he could in the direction of the fake wall. Every corridor and hallway looked the same, making the task seem impossible...

*

Another seemingly impossible task had fallen on the lap of Sam, the assassin. He needed Francis, the one person the Director had a personal grudge against. If he could capture Francis, he would forever be favoured by the Director. Motivated by this prospect, Sam had formed a plan. He needed to create a distraction. Thankfully, the means of pulling this off already existed. He fell into the shadows at Waterloo as Francis watched what used to be Richard Jaeger writhe on the floor after being electrocuted. He yelled out incoherent cries and vomited on the floor before standing up once more. Covered in his own fluids, Jaeger made another attack for the hazmat officers but was subdued once more. Francis looked away, unable to watch any longer.

Inside the makeshift laboratory, Louis and the doctors were analysing the blood sample. Louis did not understand most of what the doctors were saying however he did sense their enthusiasm and was beginning to share it.

'We need to get this over to the main labs,' one of the Doctors grinned. 'This is what we've been waiting for!'

'So, it's good news?' Louis asked. The doctor nodded at him.

'Your blood contains the purest sample of the virus we've ever seen,' he explained. 'It's not mutated so we have a great chance to use it to develop an antidote!'

'Can we cure like... the zombies?' Louis asked. The doctor hesitated.

'I don't know.'

Louis sighed and rubbed his face. Leaving the tent in the search of Francis, Louis took a breath. Everything was happening so fast. An attempt was made on his life, twice, he was kidnapped and injected with a concentrated form of the virus and then he was forced to live through the outbreak once again. Hopefully things would get better and stay that way. Louis saw Francis leaning against a news van. He had his face in his hands, burying grief.

'Jaeger's dead,' Francis sighed. Louis swallowed hard. 'He's a zombie...'

'Oh God...' Louis managed to say in total disbelief. 'I can't believe it...' Francis looked up at him, a sudden idea had come to mind.

'This cure,' he said quietly, 'can it cure the zombies?' Louis looked at him, surprised.

'I dunno... I always thought it'd cure people who were about to turn into zombies...'

'Maybe it can!' Francis said, his face a sudden picture of optimism. 'Let's talk to one of the...'

There was a great crash. One of the police cars parked close to a wall suddenly exploded, sending a large fireball into the air. People and vehicles close by were knocked over by the blast. There was then silence after the blast, the only noise coming from the bricks crumbling off the wall. Francis looked over at the damage, wondering what had caused it. A loud roar echoed over the silence. It was a sound Francis and Louis were uncomfortably familiar with.

Through the gap in the wall, infected poured out and took the police by surprise. Infected overwhelmed those closest to the blast and began to decimate everything in the police perimeter. Francis grabbed Louis and began to run. They went to the tent with where the medical personnel were stationed. Inside, they were scurrying around frantically.

'Secure the blood sample!' the head doctor cried. He turned to Louis. 'Come with us, we might need further blood samples!'

'Shouldn't that be enough?' Louis asked as he was pulled out of the tent, away from the infected who were tearing through the police. Running in between police cars, vans, news vehicles and other people, Louis and Francis headed straight for the edge of the perimeter.

'Is some of us don't make it...' the doctor said, 'you might be our only hope.' Louis swallowed hard. Francis, just behind, looked around as he ran and saw the tent get torn apart by a tank, which made its way for them. He also just glimpsed Richard Jaeger, tearing into the flesh of a reporter. 'A no fly zone has been set up,' the doctor continued. 'We have to get out on foot.'

Everyone jumped over the barriers set up and was now on the streets. A police car crashed through the metallic fencing and rolled into some of the cars that were clogging the roads. They ran from it as fast as they could. Fortunately for them, a panicked motorist attempted to drive away and crashed into the beast, which fell and crushed the vehicle. Louis and Francis were escorted away from the area as fast as possible. As the tank squirmed on the ground, Sam ran past it and got closer to Francis.

*

Graham ran down what seemed to be his 100th corridor and had still not found the way out. He paused to catch his breath. He was very lost. Everything was going so wrong, he almost could not stand it. He put his hand on the wall and let out an angry sigh. A few tears began to collect in his eyes but he wiped them away, not that anyone around could see. Graham shook himself and decided to soldier on. What he saw next, however, nearly destroyed him.

He turned into a new corridor and saw a trail of blood that was leading down a corner. Gripping his weapon tight, he turned and gasped. There was one body on the ground. One single body, surrounded by all the blood. He ran over to it and knelt down close. It was Anna. Graham put his gun on the ground and shook her. There was no response. He shook her more aggressively but Anna still did not respond. There was a gun in her hand. He touched it to pull it away when Anna suddenly began coughing. Graham stepped over her and supported her head.

'Ms. Shepherd?' he asked. Anna's eyes began to focus and she saw him.

'What are you...?' she managed before coughing again.

'There are soldiers outside,' Graham explained. 'They killed the last of the SWAT and are probably somewhere around here. I think I know a way out; it's where Dennis is. We have to go now, though!' Anna nodded.

'Is Dennis alright?' she asked.

'Last I heard,' Graham nodded, 'he's absolutely fine. But we have to go, right now. Can you walk?' Anna shook her head weakly. Graham lifted her up, supporting her back and legs, to Anna's discomfort. He started running the same direction Anna had been going before she was attacked, as she was looking for Dennis as well.

However, Graham was wrong when he said the soldiers were somewhere around the basement. On the contrary, all of them had returned outside and had got back inside the van. Their leader lifted a phone to his ear.

'Yes?' the Director said, on the other line.

'The charges have been placed, sir,' the ginger man reported.

'Good...' the Director nodded. 'Good work, Cameron. Your new orders are to pick up Sam and the cargo he should be carrying and bring them to my boat immediately.'

'Yes sir,' Cameron acknowledged obediently. 'When you reach your boat, you can detonate the charges there and destroy the AID building.'

'I'm there now,' the Director said, walking down some steps to where his small, private yacht was moored. 'Get clear. Everything in there is about to be destroyed. All survivors... and all evidence.' The Director hung up and stepped onto his boat.

Graham and Anna turned another corner and were heading for another dead end.

'Not again!' Anna cried.

'No!' Graham said, excitedly. 'This is where Dennis went to. That wall's fake!' He ran over to it. At the same time, the Director stepped into his luxurious private vessel. Walking over the carpet to the table by the window that looked out to the rear of the boat, he sat down and looked at the laptop computer that was there. He turned it on and it asked for a password. Graham and Anna reached the wall and he looked to the right side of it. There was a small strip for fingerprint recognition. Using the tape he had used before, Graham opened the large, fake wall. He waited for it to open. The Director's computer loaded up and a window opened. A flashing button was displayed marked "execute". The Director pushed the enter key.

In the reflection of the glass AID building, the city of London shattered as the explosives were all instantaneously detonated. The upper levels came crashing down in tonnes of concrete, steel and tacky, expensive looking furniture. The underground laboratories were crushed instantly as explosions skirted through the hallways and debris crushed it from above. Graham lost his footing and stumbled as the entire area shook. An explosion roared in from behind, causing him to turn and run through the gap in the wall. Jumping through, the ceiling collapsed behind him and everything behind was destroyed. All the labs, all the bodies and all the evidence were now gone.

Just outside, Bill and Zoey felt the force of the explosion and decided that it was now time to move. Climbing back up to the street level, they were shocked at the sight that was before them. The entire building was gone and in its place, flaming debris. Zoey covered her mouth and stepped away. Bill just looked into the fire and felt anger. The Director closed the lid and smiled.

*

On the street with a good view of the destruction, Louis and Francis stopped as they watched the AID building crumble.

'You think they're alright?' Francis asked. Louis shrugged.

'Come on!' the doctor cried. 'We have to keep...' He was cut off as up ahead, a large van mounted the pavement and drove straight for them. Turning, everyone saw Sam, his gun aimed high.

'No one move!' he cried. Screeching to a halt, the van stopped and two soldiers came out. 'Him,' Sam pointed to Francis. Confused, Francis was pulled away by the heavily armed men. Louis could only stand there, watching. His gun aimed at them vigilantly, Sam stepped around the group and into the van. It then drove off down the street as hastily as it had approached them. Louis ran after it but was held back by one of the doctors.

'Where are you going?' he screamed.

'I have to help Francis!' Louis cried. 'He's saved me so many times I have to...' he was cut off by the doctor.

'You may be the most important man on the planet, do you understand?' he shouted. 'We're going to get picked up just over that bridge. Your blood could save billions! You need to come with us.'

'You have my blood sample,' Louis shrugged off the doctor. 'I'm going to do what's really important.'

'Don't be an idiot!' the doctor screamed as Louis ran down the street after the van. The doctor turned and shook his head. He and his team continued in the other direction.

Louis looked around at the vehicles desperately. People had abandoned their cars in sudden panic of a new outbreak. He was looking for a car that still had the keys in the ignition. He found one in a clunky looking minivan. He got in the driver's seat and turned on the engine. Without buckling the belt, he drove off but stalled it.

'Shitty cars!' Louis punched the dashboard as he turned on the engine once again and drove off down the street, this time more successfully.

*

The secret passage was in a great state of ruin. Graham was lying on the floor, his arm horrifically twisted. Behind him was a scene of twisted metal and rubble. He woke up and held his head. Wincing in pain from his other broken arm, he stood and looked around. In front of him were some steps. He went down them and saw Anna at the bottom. She was sat against the wall. Kneeling next to her, he smiled.

'Can you walk?' he asked.

'I'm getting some feeling in my legs,' she said. 'The bastards didn't break them after all... I think I was just... afraid.'

'I think we'd all be afraid,' Graham chuckled, helping her to her feet. When she stood, Anna looked at him seriously.

'Not me,' she said, looking straight in his eyes. Graham was unsure of what to say, so he merely nodded. 'Another lucky escape,' Anna looked back up.

'We should keep going,' Graham suggested. 'We're safe for now.' Anna nodded and the two went over the catwalk and up another set of stairs where they came to the control room.

'There are two corpses there,' Anna observed before they checked out the escape door. Graham investigated first, as Anna still found it hard to walk quickly. Up ahead was the corpse of the Director's assistant, unrecognisable to either of them. But as Anna walked past Graham to investigate the room, she heard his gasp.

'Oh God...' he managed to say. Anna looked over at the corpse. Her eyes widened in disbelief. She stumbled over quickly to get a better look. When she was right over the body a tear fell from her face and into the pool of blood that had come from it.

Anna fell to her knees as she attempted to comprehend the sight of Dennis Roth lying in a pool of his own blood with a mixture of fear and anger on his face. His dead eyes open, looking at nothing were too much for Anna to bear. She put her hands to her face, unable to look at the grim sight. Dennis' throat had been punctured, leading to a messy and no doubt painful death.

'We couldn't find the Director upstairs...' Graham whispered. 'It must have been him.' Anna removed her hands from her face and crawled over to Dennis. She closed his eyes for him and kissed him on his forehead, the only part of his face not completely covered in blood. She stood up and stepped away. Her look of sorrow turning into one of anger. Anna staggered around the room and lost her footing, grabbing one of the tables for support. Taking a seat, she sighed.

'I can't keep going...' she said. Graham ran to her.

'I can't leave you here!' he insisted.

'You have my number,' Anna said. 'This room seems to have mobile phone signal.' She took out her phone and put it on the desk. 'You get out and send people down here. Maybe there's something here we can use against Ingram?'

'You'll be looking for that?' Graham asked. Anna nodded.

'Send people my way,' Anna ordered. 'And try and find Zoey. Keep her safe.'

'Why?' Graham asked, confused at Anna's sudden concern.

'You care about her?' she asked. Graham nodded and Anna looked over to him. 'Take care of those who are special to you.' Her eyes drifted over to Dennis' corpse and back to the table. 'Go, I'll be fine.' Graham nodded and left by the exit. Anna sighed and put her gun on the table. 'I'm going to make you pay...' she promised herself.

*

Graham finally emerged on ground level and saw the city of London in chaos. There were few people left on the street and a lot of commotion was coming from the direction of Waterloo station. He looked over and held his arm tight. Walking through the eerily quiet street, Graham took his gun and prepared himself for the worst. A screech echoed through the air. A hunter was close...

The monster suddenly pounced onto Graham, knocking his weapon to the side. He struggled but he was helpless and he knew it. The beast began clawing at him but it was immediately kicked away. Above him, Zoey was stood shooting the hunter on the ground with Bill who was stood a little bit away. Helping Graham to his feet, Zoey immediately embraced him.

'You're alive!' she said happily. Graham smiled and closed his eyes as she hugged him. 'How did you get out?' He stepped away and sighed.

'Long story,' he looked over to Bill. 'Where are the others?'

'Francis and Louis went to Waterloo,' Zoey explained. 'They might have a cure for everything!' Graham looked over to where all the noise was coming from.

'You mean that Waterloo?' he asked, pointing over to where the crashing and shooting were coming from. Flames and smoke could be seen in the darkness. Zoey put her hands to her mouth.

'Oh dear God...' she whispered.

'What do we do now?' Bill asked. 'Are we giving up on finding the Director?'

'No!' Zoey cried, turning to look at him. 'Everything that has happened is his fault! He needs to pay!'

'We have no idea where he is, though,' Graham shook his head. 'He killed Dennis and managed to slip through our fingers... It's not looking good.'

'But there must be something we can do!' Zoey yelled. 'We can't just stand here and do nothing!' In the distance the sound of an approaching vehicle could be heard. A van, driving at incredible speed, shot straight past them. The three of them watched it as it continued down its path. A few moments later another vehicle could be heard. In the distance, a minivan emerged, chasing after the van. As soon as it passed the three, it screeched to a halt. Looking at it inquisitively, the three were surprised when Louis poked his head out the window.

'Get your asses in here!' he ordered.

*

The Director stood watching London burn in the safety of his private boat. It was large and elaborately decorated, with a kitchen a comfortable bedroom and a adequate sized bathroom. The main area he was in had a large television screen on the wall and the table and chairs were arranged to have a good view of it. Stairs in the centre of the room went up to where he would pilot his boat after the others had arrived. He would be able to last comfortably on this boat while the rest of the world fell into a terrifyingly familiar panic.

The Director stepped out on deck and breathed in a breath of fresh city air, while he still could. It would probably be a while before he could return to civilization again after the supposed crimes he had committed. As he thought about it, the Director acknowledged what he had done were indeed crime that were unforgivable, in normal circumstances. However times were different and although he knew that few would agree with him, he knew that he had done humanity a favour.

He had the sample of the virus, which he would use to develop a cure without the restraints of law preventing him testing it on people. It would take other scientists decades; most likely, to make a cure and humanity could have been wiped out by then. He knew that destroying London and the airport would reaffirm the seriousness of this disease, which after six months was already fading away from people's memories.

Walking back inside and shutting the door, the Director saw the briefcase on the table next to the laptop. He picked it up and entered the bedroom. Inside there was a small set of stairs leading down to the small cargo hold, the contents mostly food and a vast quantity of gasoline to get him out to international waters. However, hidden beyond the crates and fuel was a small safe. Using his fingerprint as a key, the Director opened it and took out the sample of the virus. He put it inside the safe and closed it. There was no way he would let anyone get their hands on it.

Just by the boat, the large van pulled up. Cameron and Sam stepped outside, pulling Francis with them. Cameron asked to soldiers to come with him and told the others to drive away and get out of London before the whole place was quarantined. He then followed the others to the Director's boat. About a quarter mile down the road, Louis stopped the minivan and stepped outside with the others. He pointed to the boat.

'He's in there!' he announced. 'I just saw them drag Francis inside.'

'That yacht screams "Director",' Graham agreed. 'It looks like they may have backup though...'

'Everyone's got a weapon except you, Louis,' Bill commented. 'I think the four of us should go in, get Francis out of there and then you be our getaway guy.'

'No way,' Graham protested. 'I'm not comfortable will Zoey going in there.' Zoey looked over to him, shocked.

'Excuse me?' she asked. Graham stepped close to her.

'Look, you've been through a lot,' he said caringly. 'I don't want you to be in danger again.' Zoey took Graham's tone of care to be patronizing.

'I can handle myself!' Zoey cried. 'And Francis is my friend. Why don't you be the driver?'

'With Anna not here, I'm in charge,' Graham said. Zoey laughed angrily at him.

'Oh you idiot,' she spat. 'This isn't some sort of military operation. We are working by ourselves to rescue Francis.'

'The more time you argue, the more time Francis is in danger,' Bill yelled. Everyone was quiet for a moment. Zoey sighed and threw her gun to Louis.

'Thank you,' Graham said. He put his hand on Zoey's shoulder but she stepped away from him. Graham watched her as she stepped toward the car and took out his phone to call Anna. Zoey opened the door and Louis stepped close to her.

'You can go if you want,' he held his gun out. Zoey smiled and pushed it back toward him.

'It's your time to shine,' she smiled weakly. 'Just bring Francis back.' Louis nodded and looked over to Graham, who had his back turned. He looked back over to Zoey.

'Look,' he said.

'I know...' Zoey nodded. She put her hand on his wrist and stroked it gently.

'Even though I forced myself away from you...' Louis said quietly, 'I was still unhappy. Even if you're with Graham... I still want to be close to you.' Zoey shook her head.

'You don't wanna be more than that?' Louis gave her a surprised look.

'What about...?' he asked.

'I went with Graham, I guess, because I was just surprised about what you said to me on the boat... I thought my feelings for you were exaggerated by the circumstances, which is really what was the case with Graham.' She swallowed hard and shook her head to get some hair out of her face. She looked at Louis into his deep, brown eyes and sighed. 'When we were at Mercy Hospital... that was when you showed me how you felt and I felt so happy and I've just realised that I've never shown you how I feel...' Louis raised an eyebrow. 'After I heard everything that had happened to you today I just knew that I...' A tear fell down her cheek. She moved her hand from Louis' wrist up to his chest.

'No one makes me feel as safe, secure or happy as you do.' Louis blushed at Zoey's comments. He waited for the next thing that she had to say but she did not speak. Zoey stepped on the tips of her toes and put her arms around Louis' neck, pulling herself to his face. She kissed him the same way he had kissed her, six months ago on the roof of Mercy Hospital. Louis put his arms around her and felt the happiest he had been for a long time.

*

Anna was sat, looking around at the various documents that had been left behind. She was doing everything she could to avoid looking over at Dennis. She had removed her jacket and put it over his head. The door that went to the underground burst open and police stormed inside. She looked up at them and identified herself. They put their weapons away and approached her.

'We have a problem, Ms Shepherd,' the lead officer said. 'The infected have escaped Waterloo and are flooding into the city, infecting people. We could have an epidemic on our hands.' Before he had finished saying the word escaped, Anna took her phone and dialled a number.

'This is Anna Shepherd,' she said. 'We need to quarantine the city of London immediately. No one gets in and no one gets out. This needs to be air-tight you understand me?' When she hung up she sighed. 'Looks like we're here for the long haul.' The police officers spread around the room.

'We need to process all this evidence,' Anna ordered. 'We have to make sure this bastard can't get away. Please tell me you didn't let him get away.' The police shrugged and did not answer. 'Damn it...' she muttered. Her phone started to ring and she hastily picked it up. 'Shepherd.'

'You sound better,' Graham said. Anna sighed.

'I will be if you tell me some good news.'

'We found the Director,' Graham reported. Anna's face suddenly looked more alert.

'What? Where?'

'On a boat just a little bit down the Thames,' Graham said. He turned his back to Bill, Louis and Zoey.

'I have access to a lot of support for you,' Anna said, 'after I explained to the security services what's been going on. What do you need?'

'It looks like he's about to hightail it out of there,' Graham sighed. 'Bill, Louis and I are going in now.'

'Bill and Louis?' Anna asked. 'Those people you brought with you?'

'Yeah. They're good.'

'Right...' Anna remained reserved. 'I'm sending helicopter support your way. What's your exact location?'

'Yeah, it's...' Graham turned around and saw Louis and Zoey step into their embrace. He paused and swallowed hard. Anna's face narrowed.

'Graham?' she asked. Graham shook himself and forced himself to look away. 'Graham?'

'Sorry...' Graham said through gritted teeth. 'Sorry...'

*

In his small yacht, the Director stood defiantly as Francis was dragged inside. Sam and Cameron threw him onto a chair while the other two stood by the main door.

'Head upstairs,' the Director ordered. 'We're leaving right now.' Cameron ran upstairs with Sam while the others stayed put. The Director gave them stern looks. 'Step outside, would you?' They stepped out onto the deck, keeping a firm close eye on the Director. Francis sat on his chair, looking at the Director.

'So you want to kiss and cuddle?' he asked sarcastically.

'Shut up,' the Director spat. 'You have no idea how badly I have wanted an opportunity like this...'

'So you do want to cuddle?'

'Remember back on the Abraham Lincoln?' the Director asked. 'I'm not sure if you're intelligent enough to remember back that far, but...'

'I remember,' Francis nodded. 'It was right after we kicked your ass.'

'And you gave me this;' the Director held up his cane. 'You shot me as I was leaving and now I need to use this to walk.'

'Sucks to be you.'

'It's about to suck to be you,' the Director leant forward. 'I've been waiting for the opportunity to pay you back.'

'And how do you plan to do that?' Francis asked.

'You see that nightmare out there?' the Director stepped over to the window. 'It's gonna be a hell of a lot worse than that for you...' He looked over to Francis and smirked. 'You picked with the wrong guy to fuck with.'

The engines suddenly kicked into life and the yacht started to slowly pull away from the Thames. The Director looked out onto the deck, taking his last glimpse of London before the engine of the boat roared louder to get it moving. He looked away and as he did so, a series of popping sounds filled the air. Outside the soldiers collapsed. Francis looked over to them and his face narrowed. Bill and Louis suddenly jumped onto the deck and made their way to the door.

'Looks like you're the one who picked the wrong guys to fuck with,' Francis laughed. The Director frowned and looked out of the window. With little decorum, Bill and Louis jumped through the glass, the crashing alerting Cameron and Sam upstairs, who turned to investigate, absentmindedly leaving the controls. Running down the stairs they took their weapons out. The engines suddenly turned off; Graham had jumped into the control room and stopped the boat. He ran down the stairs and aimed his gun at the two. The Director, Cameron and Sam were surrounded.

'Oh, please,' the Director muttered. Cameron ducked and Sam did a spin kick, knocking the weapon out of Graham's hand. Cameron fired at Bill and Louis, who were forced to jump apart to avoid the shot. Rolling forward, Cameron wrestled the gun from Louis and pushed it into his face. Louis head butted the gun and it scatter over the floor. He managed to kick Cameron off him and stood up, readying his fist. Cameron stood and took out a combat knife. Louis sighed as Cameron lunged at him.

The Director swung his cane at Bill, who grabbed it and tried wrestling it away from him. Sam went to assist him but Francis tapped him on the shoulder and punched him hard in the face as he turned around. Sam fell to the ground and Francis took his weapon. He shot Cameron in the arm as he came at Louis with the knife, causing him to stagger and drop the knife, giving Louis the opportunity to take him down. Francis then kicked the cane away from the Director and Bill, causing the Director to fall to the floor. Louis and Bill took their weapons and joined Francis in aiming at the Director as Graham put checked Sam's pulse.

'You going to kill me?' the Director asked. Bill laughed.

'Tempting...' he muttered before kicking him in the head. 'We're still moving.' The others looked outside on deck. The engines were still running and the yacht was moving with no pilot.

'I'm gonna stop the boat,' Louis announced, running up the stairs. Graham took out his phone.

'Shepherd,' Anna answered.

'It's Graham,' he said. 'We have the Director. We could use a pick up right about now.'

'A helicopter should be there shortly to get you,' Anna announced. 'They'll take you out of the city.'

'Zoey is not on the boat she's...'

'They'll pick her up,' Anna said reassuringly.

'Thank you,' Graham sighed.

'Oh, Graham,' Anna said before he hung up. 'Good work.' Graham smiled.

'You too,' he said. 'I'm sorry about-'

'That's fine,' Anna interrupted. 'I have to go. Goodbye.' She hung up and put the phone on the table in front of her. She looked around the room, at the police officers tearing everything apart looking for evidence and closed her eyes. Her face had a very strained look and her skin was now pale. She was beginning to feel quite sick.

Her phone rang once again.

'God damn it,' she yelled, causing the police to stare at her. The strain was becoming almost intolerable. 'Shepherd,' she answered. After a moment she sighed in relief. 'Are they out of the city? Good. Do they have the virus sample? Thank God. Alright, make sure that they are safe and the virus sample is studied. We can't let this happen again.' Anna hung up the phone and sighed, rubbing her eyes. 'Thank God...' she whispered.

*

The boat had stopped in the middle of the Thames. Tower bridge was ahead, open very slightly to prevent the infected from spreading any further throughout the city. A helicopter made its way over the city and began descending down to the boat. Stepping out onto the deck, Graham pulled Sam and Cameron out. The Director was left inside to make sure he would not wake up and jump into the water to escape.

However, the Director did awake. He looked around and saw his allies were on the deck with Graham. Bill and Francis stepped outside to join him. The Director looked to the stairs that went up to the control room. If he could get up there, he would be able to seal himself inside and pilot the boat away from the helicopter that was getting closer. Pulling himself up using the wall, he staggered over to the stairs, taking a small pistol hidden in his inner jacket pocket.

The helicopter was right on top of the boat. The pilot positioned it to the rear of the outer deck and the doors opened to the passenger area. Graham stepped inside, carrying Sam with him. After securing him, he pulled Cameron inside and yelled to Bill over the noise of the rotors.

'Bring Ingram!' he cried. Bill and Francis turned and saw the Director moving to the stairs. Knowing he was spotted, the Director fired shots at them randomly. Ducking to avoid fire, Bill and Francis felt the bullets shoot over their heads. The pilot startled, he quickly pulled the helicopter away from the yacht and up high along with Graham, Cameron and Sam. 'Take us back down!' Graham ordered.

The Director suppressed Bill and Francis by firing more shots at them as he climbed the stairs. He stepped into the control room and saw Louis stood with his back to him; trying to figure out how to work the controls. He aimed the gun to the back of his head and pulled the trigger. Louis turned when he heard the empty click of the weapon and saw the Director throw the pistol at him. Staggering, Louis was dazed enough for the Director to grab him and throw him down the stairs just as Bill and Francis were running up them. The three fell back down and the Director sealed the door, locking them out from him permanently.

The yacht's engines fired up once more and it began to blitz through the Thames. Up on the road, Zoey watched it from the minivan. She turned on the engine and began following it, as she had done before. Her phone began to ring. It was Graham calling her.

'What is going on?' Zoey asked.

'The Director's sailing out somewhere,' Graham yelled over the noise. 'It's too dangerous to get to the boat while it's moving. We're hoping that Bill and the others can stop it.' A loud screech interrupted their call. A hunter suddenly pounced on the bonnet of the van. Zoey swerved the van to try and shake it off. It soon lost its grip and fell down under the wheels.

'Call the others and tell them to get off the boat!' Zoey ordered as she drove over the hunter. 'I have an idea how we can stop him!'

'What are you going to do?' Graham asked.

'Just do it!' Zoey yelled, hanging up and throwing the phone out of the window. She accelerated and pulled ahead of the Director's yacht. Graham put his phone away and looked around the cockpit.

'Do you have a loudspeaker?' Graham asked the pilot.

Bill fired a few more shots into the door that separated them from the Director but had no luck. Standing back he shook his head.

'Any of you guys have any ideas?' he asked.

'Bill, Louis and Francis!' they heard a voice yell from above.

'God?' Francis said ridiculously. They all stepped out on the deck. Looking up, the helicopter was following them. It had activated a spotlight that was pinned on the boat and through a loudspeaker, Graham was talking to them.

'Get off the boat, now!' he ordered.

'You gotta be kidding!' Louis objected.

'We have a new plan, get off the boat, now!'

'Well that's better than my plan...' Francis said.

'And what was that?' Bill asked.

'I didn't have one,' Francis said as he jumped into the water. Bill and Louis looked at each other and shrugged. They both jumped overboard as the yacht came closer to Tower Bridge.

Zoey swerved the minivan and drove onto Tower Bridge. She took off her seatbelt and gripped the steering wheel firmly. Driving past the abandoned cars, she got closer to the open bridge. Smashing through the barriers, she went up the slight incline toward the gap. The river Thames below her and the yacht getting close, Graham looked out of the cockpit and saw what Zoey was planning on doing.

'Zoey, NO!' he cried as she got within ten meters of the edge. Zoey put the handbrake on and turned the car so that it screeched along the road on its side. Kicking the door open, she waited as the minivan tilted over the edge and began to fall before jumping out. Flying over the gap, Zoey landed on the other side and rolled down to the other side. The minivan plummeted down toward the Thames.

The Director put the throttle on maximum as he went under Tower Bridge. Pretty soon he would be out on international waters and he would be free. With the virus sample secure, he knew that he would be able to continue his experiments and studies that would ultimately save the human race. Sacrifices were necessary in order to progress. However, he was the one willing to make any sacrifices.

The minivan crashed into the yacht and tore through the roof down into the cargo hold. The Director stumbled as everything shook around him. Falling down to his knees, the van smashed the contents of the cargo hold and knocked the safe containing the virus sample over. The fuel containers began to leak as the electrical systems in the van began to spark. The Director opened the door of the control room and saw the damage. He could see straight down into the cargo hold and saw the sparks right next to the safe.

'Oh dear God...' he managed to say before the sparks ignited into flame.

From the helicopter, Graham saw the terrific explosion as the Director's yacht was torn apart by the blast. Flames engulfed the Director's body before the force of the blast obliterated him along with his boat and the safe. The safe door cracked open and the virus sample fell out and was immediately incinerated.

Swimming to the shore and climbing up onto the street, Bill, Francis and Louis looked over as the Director and his boat burned as it sank to the bottom of the river. Emerging from the other side of Tower Bridge, Zoey staggered into the street. She looked down the road and saw the other three. With a slight limp, Zoey ran over toward them. Louis looked over and saw her running toward them. He broke away from Bill and Francis and ran to meet her.

Louis and Zoey met each other and they embraced in the middle of the street. Holding each other tight, the two stood still as they enjoyed each other's touch. Francis looked over to Bill.

'Don't even think about it,' Bill joked. He stepped forward to interrupt Louis and Zoey. 'The city's filled with zombies, guys,' he said. 'We need to get out of here.' The helicopter was still overhead but was not flying down any lower.

There was a massive crash that startled both Zoey and Louis who stepped apart. Several bodies were thrown out of an alleyway and tumbled along the ground. Shuffling out of the alley, one of the infected looked over to the survivors, a blank stare on his face. Suddenly, a large monster crashed through him, lifted him up and threw him against a wall. The monster then looked at them. It was large and grotesque with one side of its body swollen to an incredibly large size. The beast let out a roar and ran at them at incredible speed.

'Split up!' Bill yelled.

The monster charged at them so quickly, they were only just about able to avoid being attacked. The charger roared at them as Bill and Francis opened fire. Using the large, muscular arm as a shield, the charger stormed at them and punched Francis away before lifting up Bill. Louis and Zoey ran behind the monster and tried to distract it. Louis ran around the monster and shot at the face, to try and stop it. The charger threw Bill a few meters across the street. Up in the helicopter, Graham threw his gun out.

'Zoey!' he yelled as the gun fell. Zoey caught it and began shooting at the charger. All four of them surrounded the monster and shot at it. The charger let out a cry and collapsed to the ground. The helicopter changed position in the air and flew away.

'Let's get out of here!' Louis cried, walking away.

'Hold up!' Bill ordered. He stepped close toward the dead infected. It looked similar to a tank but only one side of its body had a massive muscles. 'Ain't seen anything like this before.' He knelt down to it and touched the muscles. The infected was very sweaty.

'Jesus,' Francis protested. 'Don't let that stop you from smearing it all over yourself.'

'They're changing,' Bill said, wiping the sweat over Francis' shirt.

'God damn it, Bill!' Francis moaned.

'You think it's the virus?' Zoey thought aloud. 'The enhanced virus the Director released?'

'Must be...' Louis agreed.

The charger suddenly rose and grabbed Louis and threw him as far as it could. The remaining survivors shot it in the face and the monster's head shattered in the hail of bullets. Louis crashed into a parked car and set off the loud alarm that echoed all around them.

'Oh this is gonna get bad...' Bill said.

'Louis, come on!' Zoey yelled.

'Stick together,' Francis said, loading his pistol. Louis came back and joined them.

In the distance, the roar of the horde washed over them, sending a shiver down the spine of each of their spines. Down the street, a huge wave of infected emerged from around a corner heading straight for them. To the rear, another wave came at them. From the alleyway, a tank emerged and screamed at them.

'Run or shoot?' Louis asked. The tank stomped toward them and the horde came closer. 'Run or shoot?' Louis cried.

'Both!' Bill ordered. The team split up. Bill and Francis ran around the right of the tank while Zoey and Louis ran around the left. Confused by their tactics, the tank did not attack, instead it chased them into the same alley it had emerged from. At the other end of the alley, another wave of the horde stormed toward them. A small ladder which was part of a fire escape was their only option.

'To the roof!' Louis yelled. Zoey jumped onto the ladder and climbed up.

'Give me another gun and I'll hold them off!' Zoey yelled as she was at the top of the stairs. Louis threw her his weapon and he started climbing up. Zoey drew the attention of the tank, who came close Bill and Francis. As Francis got onto the ladder, the tank looked up at Zoey and lifted a large dumpster to throw at her. Bill drew its attention by getting close and firing. The tank roared and went to attack Bill but Francis kicked it in its face, causing it to drop the dumpster in front of itself.

Bill began climbing up. He ran past Zoey who followed him up the fire escape. As they ran past the windows they saw infected inside the building. The tank roared and threw the dumpster into the air, tearing through the fire escape. Zoey lost her footing and held her arm out. Bill, getting onto the roof, went to grab it but only took her gun. The entire fire escape fell, crushing the tank and the horde. Zoey jumped into the air as Louis, who was taller than Bill, stuck his arm out.

'Louis!' she cried as she rose and then started to fall. Louis grabbed Zoey's hand before she fell and managed to pull her over the edge of the rooftop. Louis collapsed and Zoey fell on top of him, breathing heavily. The two looked deep into each other's eyes before they realised they were still with Bill and Francis. Zoey rolled of Louis and cleared her throat.

'Well...' Louis said, trying to make conversation. 'I can't believe we've got through all that.'

Bill put a cigarette in his mouth, using his favourite lighter to ignite the end.

'Louis, we just crossed the street,' Bill muttered. 'Let's throw a party when we're out of the city.'

'Think about it, Bill,' Francis interrupted. 'We've got through a lot. We survived one outbreak back home. We're surviving this one after we took down the guy responsible for it. I'd say that was a pretty large street to cross.' Bill looked at Francis, confused at what he had said but appreciating his point. Even if the infected were mutating into things that they had never seen before, the four of them were more experienced than anyone when it came to this. They would be fine.

Graham's helicopter flew by.

'Guys,' he said through the loudspeaker. 'Get to Canary Warf for evacuation!' Bill grunted in displeasure. 'We can't set down here. Get to Canary Warf and we will pick you up! I know you can do it!' The helicopter flew away into the distance.

'Looks like we're going on another trek...' Zoey sighed. Louis put an arm around her.

'We'll do fine,' he said confidently. 'And guys, when we get out of here, I'm giving all of you jobs.'

'Even me?' Francis asked.

'I'll teach you how to read, first,' Louis joked.

'Alright,' Bill announced, stepping forward. Looking over the edge of the roof, the survivors saw London. Flames came from the buildings and streets, infected were stumbling on the ground and attacking each other. With the Director dead, everything had changed. No one was lurking in the shadows, quietly manipulating the events for their own gain. For the first time, the four survivors were now alone. 'Let's go,' Bill announced.

'I'm not being left for dead.'


	19. Left 4 Dead 2 Preview

One

The streets of Savannah were occupied by a gentle stream of residents who had risen from their beds to enjoy the sunny Saturday morning. Youths ambled along the streets lazily while motorists passed by on the roads and expressways, eager to arrive at their destination. The sun had only been up for a short while and the weather was already sharp. Windows in cars and buildings were open allowing the gentle, relaxing breeze reach their occupants. Along the Savannah River, vessels lazily cruised smoothly through the water while some couples and groups had picked spots along the bank to sunbathe or have picnics.

Tilly Franklyn stepped out of bed, eager to enjoy the beautiful day. Rubbing the baby bump on her stomach tenderly, she stood and opened the curtains and let the sunlight pour over her body. She sighed, appreciating the warmth that caressed her skin. Her husband, Elliott, did not share Tilly's appreciation for the weather. Moaning, he grabbed her pillow and put it over his head.

'More sleep, thank you,' he mumbled. Tilly looked to him and smiled. Her husband was handsome with short black hair that was neat despite him still being in bed. Tilly had long brown hair with matching eyes. Moving away from the window, Tilly eagerly prepared herself for the new day.

Every Saturday the Franklyn family followed the same routine. After Tilly had dressed she found herself in the kitchen where she prepared breakfast for her family. She made pancakes with maple syrup for her son because he needed something substantial before he went to football practice. For her young daughter Tilly poured a big bowl of cereal and milk so that she would have enough energy for dance class. As her children were eating together, Tilly took an apple into the bedroom and threw it gently at her husband to remind him to get out of bed. After breakfast Tilly rounded her children into the car and took them to their respective places. She then decided to do some shopping, picking up some new pyjamas for her daughter who was going to a sleepover that evening and some new shoes for her son who would rather be hit in the head with a football than be seen shopping with his mother. Buying all she needed, Tilly picked up her daughter from dance class and drove on to collect her son.

'I bet you're excited,' Tilly said to her daughter as she stopped at a red light. 'This is your first ever sleepover!'

'I guess,' was Tilly's subdued response. She looked over to her little girl, an interested look on her face.

'You don't sound very excited,' Tilly told her. 'Are you... nervous?'

'No...'

'Oh, well that's good,' Tilly smiled a knowing smile. 'I remember being nervous when I went to my first sleepover.' Her daughter looked up to her, a surprised look on her face.

'You were?' she asked with an astounded tone to her voice.

'Oh yes,' Tilly nodded. 'I was afraid that the girls I didn't know wouldn't like me or I was worried that I'd get scared in the middle of the night because I wouldn't have my parents in the next room to comfort me.' Tilly paused for a moment while her daughter thought about what she had said. 'Of course when I got there I had so much fun that before I knew it, it was morning and I was going home. And even though they weren't in the same house, my parents were just a phone call away.' Tilly's daughter smiled and looked out of the window.

The rest of the journey toward the school was quiet as the two listened to the radio. As Tilly pulled into the car park, she was prepared to wait for a few minutes for practice to end. However when she arrived she saw that it was already over and people were already leaving. Parking the car, Tilly stepped out and instructed her daughter to stay inside. She saw the coach of the football team talking with a group of parents and decided to investigate. As she approached him, the parents dispersed to take their children home leaving the two alone. The coach was a larger man with dark skin and a bald head with _FHS_ written on his shirt. He smiled pleasantly as he saw Tilly approach him.

'Mrs. Franklyn, it's always a pleasure,' he smiled. He then turned to face the football field behind him. 'Hey, James! Your mother's here!' His sudden cry caught Tilly of guard but she laughed off her shock gently.

'Hey, Coach,' she said. 'What's going on? Why did practice end early?'

'Oh a few kids just got sick,' Coach explained.

'How many?' Tilly asked, concerned.

'Seven.'

'_Seven_?'

'Well, eight, but I think he was faking it.'

'Goodness...' Tilly gasped.

'Don't worry, though,' Coach went on. 'James is okay. In fact with all the illness he's now the best player on the team.'

'It took eight illnesses for that to happen?' Tilly asked quietly to a grinning Coach as James ran up to them. 'Oh dear...'

'Hey,' James nodded to his mother.

'Hey, honey,' she smiled. 'Your sister's waiting in the car.' James ran ahead, leaving the two alone again.

'Listen, Mrs. Franklyn,' Coach said quietly. 'With all the kids getting sick you might want to get James checked out, just in case.'

'I might just do that,' Tilly smiled, appreciating his concern. 'Last thing I need is to be taking care of a sick child when I'm about to squeeze this one out.'

'I'm sure it's just the flu that's been going around,' Coach nodded. 'It's not got me yet though. I'm as fit as these lads here!'

'The healthy ones or the sick ones?' Tilly said jokingly as she said goodbye.

Leaving the school, Tilly took her children home and prepared dinner for them. After the family sat down together to enjoy a casserole, James went out to see a film with some friends for the evening. The youngest proudly wore her new pyjamas as Elliott took her to the sleepover, not after a smile and a thumbs up from Tilly who was washing the dishes. When Elliott came back he found his wife sat watching the news drinking a glass of water. He sat down next to Tilly and lifted her feet up so that he could massage them as they sat together. Turning away from the local story about a car crash due to one of the drivers being ill behind the wheel, Tilly sighed and looked lovingly into Elliott's eyes. They shared a romantic kiss to end the day.

'I tell you,' Tilly said, pointing to the news. 'This flu has spread so fast. Eight kids were sick with it at James' practice.'

'Eight?' Elliott repeated.

'Well one was faking but that's not the point. I wonder why I've not got it yet because you were ill with it a few weeks back and I never caught anything.'

'Well some people are naturally immune to things like these,' Elliott explained. 'Where you're immune to flu, I am immune to...'

'Housework?'

'Sure, why not?' Tilly and Elliott shared a laugh and kissed each other once more. Tilly suddenly pulled away.

'The baby's kicking!' she said, excitedly. Elliott put his hand on her stomach and smiled excitedly.

'There's another football player right there,' he said.

'Or a dancer,' Tilly winked. She gasped suddenly and put her hand to her stomach after feeling a stronger kick than usual. 'Okay, maybe a football player.' The two laughed and kissed again. Their tenderness was broken up once more by Tilly who had snapped back, gasping in pain.

'What's wrong?' Elliott asked.

'It's harder...' Tilly said breathlessly. She let out a moan as she curled up from the stabbing feeling inside her. 'Oh God, it's never felt like this before!'

'Has your water broke?'

'No, it's too soon... Oh God...' Tilly fell from the seat and took Elliott's hand. 'There's something wrong with the baby!'

With that, Elliott put his wife in the car and drove as fast as he could toward the hospital. The sky was dark and clear, yet there were no stars. The moon was eerily absent as the two raced down the road. As the glow of streetlights flooded through the windows as they drove past, Elliott looked over to his wife and looked at her stomach. He could see dark veins forming and swelling forming on the skin. Tilly was now screaming in pain, tears streaming down her cheeks and her hands holding her stomach.

Arriving at the hospital, Elliott took Tilly in his arms and ran inside without even closing the car doors. Inside she was immediately taken away by doctors as Elliott followed close behind. After preliminary examinations Tilly was taken into an operating room and Elliott was left outside, staring in through the tiny square windows on the doors occasionally. A nurse came out after a few minutes and asked Elliott to sign a document.

'Tell me,' he asked before she left, 'how does it look?'

'We're doing everything we can,' she responded, raising her voice to speak over the sound of agony that was coming from inside. The nurse left Elliott who sat down on a chair, quietly weeping. He feared the worst.

As an ultrasound scan was being conducted, Tilly continued to cry in pain. She could not see the screen but the puzzled looks from the surrounding physicians and nurses provided her imagination plenty worry about. Out of the seven people in the room, Tilly felt that none of them were doing enough to help her. She screamed at the doctor in charge.

'Save my baby!' she cried. 'I don't care what you have to do, just save my baby!' The doctors looked at each other talking quietly.

'What baby?' one of them asked as they looked away from the screen. Where there should have been an image of an unborn child was just a fuzzy emptiness.

'Oh God...' Tilly yelled, spitting out some blood. 'Help me!'

Her last scream was silenced by a sickening crack. The heart monitor began to flat line and Tilly fell limp.

'What the hell happened?' a doctor asked, calling for resuscitation. As a nurse prepared defibrillators a few others rallied around Tilly the check her.

'Where's this blood come from?'

'Why is there no baby?'

'On my mark! One, two, three...'

As they moved to shock the heart, the heart rate monitor began to register heartbeat. Everyone stopped and watched the screen. Tilly's heart was suddenly beating a lot faster than it had done previously. Before anyone could react, there was another cracking sound. Looking down at Tilly, one nurse screamed as she saw her neck stretching before her eyes, the cracking coming from the bones and joints that were moving. Tilly's mouth began to widen, blood oozing out and falling to the floor. Her eyes were dead and open, looking but not seeing. The transformation complete, Tilly suddenly sat up.

As Elliott wept outside, he heard new screams. They were screams that were made by seven people in unison. A nurse clambered out of the room, her hands covering her face. Elliott ran to her as she fell and almost retched as the woman's hands fell away and a green substance was seen dissolving her flesh before his very eyes. The girl's skin melted away and the eyes liquefied in their sockets. The bone wore down and Elliott stepped away from her to look inside at what had caused this. Through the window he saw a green substance being flung across the room, eating away at whatever it touched. When he stepped through the doors he saw Tilly. She was stood over one of the doctors. As Elliott was about to call her name, Tilly spat the acidic substance over the doctor's body. He screamed and writhed in pain as the acid destroyed him. Vomiting in horror, Elliott fell back to try and get away. As he crawled he put his hand in some of the acid and screamed as he felt his hand dissolving. The pain was intense, it felt as if tiny animals were biting at his flesh, only far more worse. He opened the door and was prime to run but was knocked down. Turning, he saw Tilly stood over him, looking insanely down at him. Elliott shook his head.

'Tilly,' he said softly, to try and get a response from her. She retched acid over his face and Elliott violently convulsed before becoming very still as Tilly ran down the corridor leaving nothing but burns and screams in her wake. Elliott's worse fears were far less horrifying than everything that was going to happen throughout the whole of Georgia, the United States and the entire world...

_A new year, a new Left 4 Dead and a new story written by me, Andy. I will begin to put up new stories soon after the beginning of January. I hope you read and review and I hope that you enjoy. =]_

_LumpyChunks (Andy)_


	20. Two Weeks

The south lawn of the White House was littered with dilapidated tents, abandoned rescue and army vehicles and hundreds of bodies. The corpses that crowded the green grass had stained it with blood, the grim evidence of the battle that had been waged there recently. The United States had fallen victim to a plague; a disease so frighteningly potent it changed the very being of those who had been infected. Those people became irritable, rash and lost all traces of their humanity. Left in the putrid shell of the infected were monsters, monsters that wanted nothing more than to destroy everything in front of them. These people who had been infected were the lucky ones, as the disease had caused striking mutations in other, less fortunate people. Some people became heavily muscular and could hardly walk under their own weight. Others had their tongues grow so long they could stretch for over fifty feet, making it difficult for them to breathe and move. For some people, their stomach bloated, causing them to waddle and suffer a violently grim death if their frail skin was pierced. Corpses of these people were also lying on the south lawn of the White House.

Inside the situation was not much better. Weapons and ammunition were placed at strategic locations throughout the building, with the people who attempted to defend them lying dead nearby. Furniture had been rearranged to form barricades, most of which had been broken through. Windows were smashed and all throughout all of the corridors and rooms, bodies carpeted them and silence decorated them.

This silence was interrupted by a bang and a loud groan. Down various stairwells and passageways a single infected, very muscular, was banging relentlessly on a large metallic door. Through the thick steel was a small room, occupied by several people cowering around in fear. The staff of the White House had managed to escape here, only to be trapped by the Tank that was outside, desperate to break in. The room was quite modern, with computer terminals and television screens placed around the walls, none of them working. Sprinkler systems were in place on the ceiling that had dim halogen lights. The rear wall was decorated with the American flag. With a particularly forceful bash, the top right corner of the door bent inward. Several people flinched as they saw it happen. Some people began to cry, others started to get angry. One woman did neither, however. She was stood watching the door, a handgun in her hand ready to fight what was trying to get in. Her hair was neat and a light brown with a faint wisp of grey. Her suit was slightly tattered, but it was clear that it was sleek and elegant.

Norah Hanham was stood with her back to the rear wall and a small desk separating her from the increasingly damaged door. She watched as it slowly became clear that there was no way out of this situation and that the Tank was not going to stop it's assault. A man came up to her, distraught.

'For Christ sakes, Norah!' he cried. 'That thing is going to get in here any second!'

'I know,' Norah said, not taking her eyes off the door. She pulled the slide back of her gun and let it snap back. 'We're going to fight it.'

'You're insane!' the man protested. 'You've got the only gun. You can't defeat one of those things with a handgun!'

'Well I'm going to try,' she said firmly, looking away from the door and into his eyes. 'No one else is going to try so that responsibility falls on my shoulders.'

'No one else wants to get torn apart by those things! We want to die on our own terms, as painlessly as possible.'

'Sorry,' Norah spoke defiantly. 'No mercy killings on my watch.'

'I can't believe this,' he walked away, upset. Suddenly, he turned and pointed at her. 'Who are you to make these decisions for us?'

'As the President and most of the Cabinet have managed to leave the country safely, I am the highest ranking official left in this room and left in the United States, period,' she spoke with passion and intolerance of those who wanted to just give up. 'I have spent my whole life serving my country, as you all have. I am not going to throw in the towel now just because things seem bleak.'

'Things are bleak, Norah!' the man insisted.

'That's Madam Secretary, thank you!' she retorted snidely. 'Today, America has fallen. We have failed at our jobs of protecting this great nation from danger and we only have ourselves to blame.' There was a silence in the room, the Tank outside had even paused in its assault. 'We will not disservice our country any longer. We will fight to the end as the shame of just giving up is far worse than death.'

The crashing outside suddenly continued, this time with more determination. As the Tank tried to get in, an unusual sound could be heard from the door. It was a sizzling sound, the sizzling heard if cold water fell onto a hot surface. Along the outer edges of the door, a green substance was eroding the metal, burning it away. The Tank's assault was becoming more vigorous and the door began to fall apart.

'My God...' someone muttered. 'They're working together!' The door burst open and fell to the ground, revealing a large infected, the Tank. Norah lifted her handgun in the direction of her target and pulled the trigger. It was the first and only time she fired a gun.

_**Two Weeks Earlier**_

The south lawn of the White House was clear. Washington D.C. was clear of any destruction or signs of infection, for now. Norah Hanham was walking through an elaborate hall with a luxurious red carpet under her feet, delicate chandeliers hanging gracefully from the ceilings and tasteful, nostalgic portraits standing proud on the walls. As she turned a corner, Norah was met by a tall man with short blonde hair.

'Hello, Ed,' she greeted. Edward Deacon smiled at her and handed her a set of documents, matching her walking pace. 'What goodies are these?' She looked up at a set of double doors ahead of them.

'The President is on Air Force One,' Edward reported.

'Heading for the climate change conference?' Norah asked.

'Yeah, in a massive polluting jet... There's been concern about the outbreak in New Orleans. You've been put in charge of fixing it.'

'Goody,' Norah joked, stopping in front of the doors and turning to Edward. 'What's the fatality count?'

'So far, no fatalities,' Edward said cautiously. 'However there are so far over one thousand infected.'

'And no fatalities?' Norah asked, opening the door. 'What's deadly about it then?' She and Edward entered the conference room. Inside was a group of people sat around a large desk. A flat screen television was on the rear wall and two empty chairs were at the front waiting for them. Edward waited for Norah to sit down before taking a seat himself. Norah cleared her throat and put the documents Edward gave her on the table.

'Alright, I'll keep this brief,' she said. 'Roughly six hours ago we were given reports of a viral infection in New Orleans that has never been seen before. Symptoms are similar to rabies and as of yet, no method of treatment has been devised. Current estimates put the infection number at over one thousand.' A few people in the room began whispering to each other, worriedly. 'Now,' Norah spoke over the whispers, 'the President has handed over the treatment of this matter to me. I give the orders; everything goes through me however we all need to work together to make sure this thing does not spread. I'm ordering New Orleans to be quarantined immediately.'

'Pardon me,' a man with a thick British accent spoke suddenly. He was directly on the opposite end of the table to Norah. He stood up. 'Avery Ingram,' he introduced himself. 'Director of the Civil Emergency and Defence Agency.'

'Yes, Director,' Norah nodded, trying to hurry up his speech. 'We've met before.'

'Have we?' the Director's eyebrows arched in slight surprise. 'Well you'd think I'd remember... Anyway, I think quarantining New Orleans would be a bit of a drastic measure at this stage of the infection. I believe many would think it is... premature.'

'I beg your pardon?' Norah leant forward.

'Well as you've said, so far, one thousand have shown symptoms of this new disease but there have been no fatalities.'

'So far,' Norah interrupted him. 'I don't want to run the risk of this getting out of hand.'

'And what happens if you place New Orleans under martial law for something that turns out to be nothing more than a cold?'

'What happens if this is more serious than just a cold? What happens if it's more deadly than anything else we've seen so far? I'd rather not take risks, Director, especially with rabies-like symptoms.' She sighed and went to continue with the agenda but stopped when she saw the Director was still standing. 'I'm sorry, Director but my mind is made up.'

'If I may,' the Director tucked his chair under the table, 'in all of my experience I seriously doubt this infection is going to lead up to anything.' Norah narrowed her eyes at him. 'I mean what if it's just another swine flu scare? What happens then when you've quarantined a major city for no apparent reason? They'll think the people that run the government are recklessly irresponsible and that by suspending civil liberties for that reason is stepping over the line.'

'There's a fine line between being careful and stepping over the line,' Norah said. 'Just like there's a fine line between giving an opinion and stepping over the line. You've said your bit, Director, but I'm still closing off New Orleans.'

'As I understand it, this is a democracy,' he continued, addressing everyone else in the room. 'The Secretary of Homeland Security does not know as much about virus and infection as some of us do and I know she means well, but her actions will have consequences for all of us.' There was silence. 'Now, I think we should put New Orleans up to a vote.'

'You're out of line,' Edward protested.

'Not at all,' the Director shook his head, raising his hand. 'I'm merely... being careful.' He shot Norah an ambiguous look. 'I think everyone who believes quarantining New Orleans is a bad idea should raise their hand now, taking the wellbeing of the American people and your careers into account.'

Within seconds, the only two people in the room who had not raised their hands were Norah and Edward.

Norah ended the meeting shortly after and hastily left the meeting room. Edward followed her closely to try and keep her calm.

'Who the hell does he think he is?' Norah spat. 'Smug bastard. "Oh you'd think I'd remember meeting you"... Ass.' Before Edward could say anything, the Director called out from behind. The two stopped and he joined them.

'Mind if we have a moment of privacy please old chap?' he asked Edward, who looked to Norah. She nodded and he went on his way. Norah continued to walk down the corridor, walking brisker than usual to force the Director to try and keep up with her.

'I hope I didn't sound out of line back there,' he said.

'Well you did,' Norah snapped back. 'And you were!'

'I honestly have the best interests of the American people at heart,' he explained. 'Locking down an entire city... well, it'd cause panic.'

'And it'd prevent and outbreak,' Norah said, stopping. 'You hijacked my meeting, Director.'

'I was merely advising you-' he spoke but Norah interrupted him.

'People usually give their advice and that's it,' she spoke angrily. 'If their advice isn't taken onboard, they don't undermine the authority of their superiors and cast doubt upon them!' The Director and Norah stood silently together.

'Are you my superior?' the Director asked, smugly. Norah's eyes lit up with anger. She stepped closed to him and spoke in a hushed tone so no one would overhear.

'You're banned from all of my meetings,' she spat. 'You are to send a representative.' Norah turned to leave but the Director called out after her.

'Do you really think New Orleans requires quarantine?'

'I'll guess we'll have to wait and see,' was her response.

'I suppose so,' the Director nodded. 'Tell you what, if I'm wrong I'll buy you a drink.' With that, he walked off in the other direction, leaving Norah standing there alone in the corridor. Her hatred toward the Director was brewing intensely within her.

*

Earlier that day, the sun rose in Savannah, Georgia, to the strident sounds of tyres screeching and metal crashing. The dull cry of a car horn then filled the air, constant and unending. The head of the driver was slumped face first into the steering wheel. The windshield was shattered, the airbags were nowhere to be seen and blood was pooling on the floor. In the back seat of the vehicle, a man had his head rested against the cracked window. Their car, a decimated taxi, had crashed straight into the front of another vehicle. The airbags in the black car had deployed and the windows were still intact, however they were visibly damaged.

The driver's door of the black vehicle was kicked open, the window glass falling to the floor as the occupant staggered out. Feet crunching the shards on the ground, the middle aged man stepped away from his vehicle and toward the taxi. He wore a dark shirt with matching trousers and shoes. His hair was greying and receding. His eyes were brown and looked heavily focused. Disregarding the body in the front seat, the man opened the rear passenger door and let the man fall out and smack on the ground. Leaning into the taxi, he retrieved the passenger's metallic briefcase and then slammed the door shut. Happy with what he came for, the man began to make a hasty retreat.

Heading for an alley just by the road, the man's pace picked up to a brisk walk. He was about to enter the alleyway when he heard someone cry from behind.

'Hey!' he heard. The man turned to see the gentleman who had fallen from the taxi standing up with a pistol in his hand, aiming for him. The man turned and ran into the alley, ducking his head slightly. A gunshot signalled the start of the chase, as the taxi passenger began to chase after him. The pursuer ran a lot faster than the other man. He was younger, thinner and more muscular. He followed the thief into the alleyway and saw him up ahead. The man turned a corner, knowing that his pursuer would soon be on his tail. He saw a door that was open and ran for it, taking out his phone.

'Nick, I need some help!' he cried.

'Sure thing, Peter,' Nick said on the other line, hanging up his phone and starting to run to help. Nick had short dark hair with a white suit and a blue shirt. He turned the corner of the street and ran for the alleyway that was by the car wreck just ahead of him.

Peter ran into a restaurant kitchen. Pushing through confused staff, he left the kitchen as his pursuer entered and made his way up a small set of stairs to another floor. Following the hallway, Peter moved as fast as he could to the roof access that was just ahead. He opened the door just as his pursuer came up the stairs and made his way through as a bullet shot past his head and into the open door. After ascending more stairs, Peter found himself on the roof and went to jump between rooftops. However, he stopped when he saw Nick running through the alley that was between the sizeable space between buildings. Cursing, Peter turned and saw the man he was running from emerge from the stairs, his weapon ready to shoot. Holding his hands out to the sides, Peter surrendered as Nick looked up and ran into the building.

'Drop it,' Peter was instructed.

'Now,' Peter spoke carefully, 'just don't do anything crazy.' He stepped close to the edge of the rooftop. 'You wouldn't want to shoot me and let this fall off now would you?'

'Do you have any idea what's inside that, old man?' Nick emerged from the kitchen and ran up the stairs.

'Do you have any idea how old I am?' Peter asked, trying to buy more time. 'I'm definitely no old man!'

'You'll be a dead man if you don't hand that case over to me right this second!' Nick reached the top of the stairs and sprinted down the corridor, dreading the sound of a gunshot.

'What's inside that's so valuable?' Peter asked.

'You'd steal it without knowing what's in it?' the man asked, sounding genuinely surprised.

'I was only hired to grab it,' Peter said. 'If you make it worth my while, I'll just hand it over to you and we can pretend this never happened.' Nick ran past the bullet hole and jumped up the stairs to the roof.

'You have no idea what you've got in your hands right there,' the man said, a look of grave seriousness on his face. 'Hand it over before you do something stupid.' Nick appeared at the top of the stairs and slowly moved toward the man who had his back to him.

'Now,' Peter said slowly, 'don't _you_ do anything stupid...' Quietly, Nick stepped close behind the gunman and then grabbed his arms in an attempt to get the weapon away from him. The man managed to retaliate by counterattacking Nick and flipping him onto his back. Peter moved in to help and swung the case at him. However, the man ducked and smacked him with his pistol and took the case from him. He held the pistol to Peter's head but Nick kicked the man in the back of the legs, causing him to stumble. Nick reached up for the weapon and managed to pull it away from him as the man broke away from the two and ran for the edge of the building. At the edge he jumped and soared far over the large gap and landed safely on the other side, rolling as his feet touched the roof.

'Damn it!' Peter spat as the man began to run away with the case. He shook and hung head in defeat, sighing as Nick stormed past him and jumped off the rooftop. Peter looked up, shocked, as Nick moved through the air over to the other side. However, he wasn't as fast as the other man and fell short of landing on the roof. Throwing the pistol, he grabbed the edge of the rooftop and dangled perilously over the substantial drop. The gun skidded along the rooftop and the man turned to see it and changed direction. He ran for his weapon.

'Get up, my boy!' Peter cried as Nick tried to pull himself up. 'Come on, Nicky!' The man got closer to his gun and Nick lifted his leg up onto the rooftop and pulled himself up, rolling along the round. He grabbed the weapon just as the man reached it and he lifted it to the air. Dropping the case, the attacker tried to reach the gun as it fired a shot into the air. The two wrestled on the rooftop as Peter watched anxiously. Nick elbowed the man in the face and pushed himself away from him and stood up, standing between him and the case. The defeated man also stood up, his back to the edge of the roof. His eyes looked at the case and then at the gun. He knew he had lost.

Giving Nick a dirty look, the man leant backward and fell off the rooftop headfirst. Peter looked over the edge and saw his grim death, wincing as his body thudded against the street. Nick, surprised at what had just happened, looked over at Peter. Peter looked up and smiled.

'You've done well, my son!' Nick forced a smile and nodded. He felt a bit sick after just watching someone die. 'If only your Mother could see you now...'

'I...' he spoke slowly, a lump in his throat. He had never been responsible for someone's death before. 'I think I'll walk down this one.' Taking the case, Nick headed for the roof access door of his own building while Peter stood up and took out his phone and made a call.

'We've got it, Director,' he said.

*

Elsewhere inside Liberty Mall, a small camera crew were setting up in front of a 1968 Dodge Charger. The driver, dressed in white and blue racing overall was leaning against it as pictures were being taken. Huge portrait banners of the driver were hanging down from the very tall ceiling, standing very proudly. The banners were signed "Jimmy Gibbs Jr.". The news crew was small, one lone cameraman and the reporter, a young woman with dark hair and skin. They were rehearsing the news piece. She could only get as far as saying her first name.

'This is Rochelle... damn it!' she shook herself.

'What's wrong now?' Dale, her cameraman, asked sounding mildly irritated. His hair was dyed a mixture of black, blue and green. Rochelle stood for a moment, tapping her foot on the ground while watching Jimmy Gibbs Jr. pose.

'I'm sorry we didn't leave Ohio for _this_!' She gestured toward Jimmy, who was now lying on the front of the car, his legs wide and hand on his groin. 'We were supposed to be looking into this strange flu pandemic...'

'Well, what can I say?' Dale shrugged. 'They changed their mind and orders are orders.' Rochelle stopped tapping her foot and shot him a glance.

'Let's ditch this place,' she said.

'Are you mad?' Dale protested. 'We could both loose our jobs!'

'At the rate everyone's been off sick?' Rochelle asked rhetorically. 'I don't think so. Come on, let's ditch this wind bag!'

'Ready for me then, darlin'?' Jimmy Gibbs Jr. asked, approaching the two and patting Rochelle on her rear. Rochelle forced a light-hearted chuckle as she pushed Jimmy's hand off her, as he decided to turn a pat into a lengthy grope and squeeze. Stepping away from him slightly and turning to face him, Rochelle spoke with a fake apologetic voice.

'I'm so sorry,' she said, ignoring the fact that Jimmy was staring at her breasts as she spoke, 'We've got an emergency back home and need to leave.'

'So soon?' Jimmy asked. 'Stay a while and I'll give you the grand tour...' He swayed his pelvis as he spoke, looking seductively at her, winking. He then looked at Dale. 'You too if you want.'

'Okay,' Dale said, lowering the camera, 'I think we should go now. We should set off now if we need to get back to Ohio.' He and Rochelle packed up and went to leave the mall. Jimmy called out after them.

'Come back any time, you hear?' he looked slightly disappointed but then saw some of his fans queuing up to get his autograph, smiled and walked over to them.

Rochelle and Dale walked out of the mall into the car park, laughing together.

'Jump on that train, Dale,' Rochelle laughed.

'People in this hick town are nuts,' Dale joked, shaking his head.

'They're not nuts,' Rochelle shook her head. 'Just unique.'

'You would say that,' Dale stopped by the van, loading the camera into it. 'You're a reporter. You have to be politically correct.'

'That guy just had his hand on my ass, squeezing it so hard it was like he wanted to pull it off. How's that for political correctness?' The two laughed some more before Rochelle stopped and looked out into the car park. The sun had only just risen and people were starting to show up, ready to shop and eager to see Jimmy Gibbs Jr. She sighed and Dale put his hand on her shoulder tenderly.

'What's wrong?' he asked.

'Nothing...' she bit her bottom lip gently. 'I dunno... my entire career it's just been "hi, I'm Rochelle. I produce a news show." I've never been in front of the camera or doing anything important like I've always wanted to. I've never been "hi, I'm Rochelle; I'm a respected journalist... until now. This is my big break and what do they put me on? Some crap bit about a lame race car driver.' Dale nodded in understanding. 'I just want my first story to be something special... I'm a good journalist, damn it.'

'A good journalist does what her boss asks her to do,' Dale pointed out. Rochelle sighed and rubbed her hand over her face.

'Let's get something to eat,' she suggested, getting inside the van. 'You can reprimand me later.' Dale chuckled, shaking his head and got into the van. The two drove off down the street. A police car and ambulance passed them, heading for the scene of a car crash down the street.

*

Back inside the mall, Jimmy Gibbs Jr. was signing autographs for his loyal fans. A slim young man with brown hair and blue eyes approached him, along with his friend who was tall, thin and almost as handsome as he was.

'Who should I make this out to?' Jimmy asked as he took a photograph, looking over at some attractive young women.

'Ellis, sir,' the young man said, taking off his blue baseball cap as he approached him.

'Well you're a fine young man, Ellis,' Jimmy said, throwing the autograph at him. 'Very handsome one, too.' Ellis stood with his friend, quiet. A few seconds passed.

'Thanks,' he said.

'Now do me a favour, Ellis,' Jimmy said, pointing to the young women he was looking at. 'Go talk to those young ladies over there and tell them they're welcome to my hotel room tonight. You two can come too, if you want.'

'Okay,' Ellis nodded. He spoke with a strong southern accent. He headed toward the young ladies but his friend stopped him.

'Ellis, you crazy?' he asked. 'We could have them all to ourselves!'

'I dunno, Keith,' Ellis shook his head, putting his cap back on. 'Jimmy Gibbs Jr. asked me to do him a favour.'

'And?'

'And?' Ellis asked rhetorically. 'It's Jimmy Gibbs Jr.!'

'Just do it!' Keith ordered.

'Okay,' Ellis sighed, walking up to the group of four women. They stopped talking and smiled as he approached. Ellis was an attractive young man, no doubt. He only had problems when he opened his mouth. Taking off his cap once more, he spoke to them. 'Good morning, miss,' he said to one girl before looking at the one next to her. 'Ma'am.' He changed direction again. 'Young lady.' He turned to the final woman. 'Madam...' The girls all greeted him in unison by saying 'hi'.

'Hey...' Ellis shuffled nervously and looked around for a source of inspiration. 'Y'all here to do some shoppin', huh?' The girls giggled and nodded. 'Yeah, me too. I love malls, I do. Once I was in this mall up in Atlanta and these guys were dancing for like, money and stuff and my friend Keith, he's right there, and I was all...'

'Is that your friend?' one of the girls asked, pointing to Keith who was gawking at them awkwardly.

'Ah yeah, that's Keith,' Ellis said. 'He's a great guy. Jimmy Gibbs Jr. sent me to get you to talk to him so we could all go to his hotel room together, but Keith said we should talk to you instead.'

'But Keith's not talking,' one of the girls pointed out.

'Oh yeah, he's just shy. Had some bad experiences with the ladies, y'know.'

'Oh? Like what?'

'One time he drowned in the tunnel of love.'

'God!' one of the girls gasped.

'I know,' Ellis continued. 'You wouldn't think it could happen because that water they use is so shallow, but that's how it gets you, girl! _Overconfidence_, you know?' The girls were nodding their heads, genuinely enthralled by Ellis' story. 'Keith was with his lady at the time and he was yellin' for her to save him but she didn't want to get wet.'

'That's terrible!'

'Yeah, I know,' Ellis nodded. He looked over to Jimmy Gibbs Jr. who was giving him encouraging looks. 'Anyhow, Jimmy Gibbs Jr. wants to talk with you ladies.'

'Oh? Why?' he was asked. 'So we can go to his hotel room? What's so good about that?'

'Oh, Jimmy Gibbs, Jr. is the man. I mean I don't know anybody like that, girl. But there was this guy I knew, he raced dirt tracks, not stock cars but open wheeled cars you know, and he was racing once and a goat...' Keith appeared beside him.

'So do you want to go out with us sometime?' he asked abruptly. 'I don't do them goat things anymore!' The girls looked at each other then back at the two before shaking their heads and walked away. Keith buried his head in Ellis' shoulder and gritted his teeth. 'Why did you bring up the goat thing?'

'Hell, Keith,' Ellis held his hands up. 'I was just sayin'...'

'No one likes the goat story!' Keith protested. 'I was nearly arrested because of the goat story!'

'Okay, my bad...' Ellis looked up at Jimmy. 'Hell he's gonna get mad at me.'

'Let's get out of here,' Keith suggested. Putting his hand on Ellis' shoulder, the two left the mall just as Jimmy Gibbs Jr. began looking around, wondering where his young fans had got to. He then smiled and proceeded to flirt with a pregnant woman who began making excuses not to talk to him, saying she had to pick her son and daughter up from practice.

*

Coach waved goodbye to Tilly Franklyn, the mother of one of his students. Football practice had ended early today as many of the players had fallen ill. Collecting all the equipment and storing it away, Coach muttered to himself at how in his day, you'd need to have a limb sheared off before you could skip practice and you'd still be back the following week. He walked with the slightest limp, thanks to a knee injury back when he was young, which made it hard for him to actually play any sports. After everyone had left and after clearing everything away, he retreated back to his office where he sat down, breathing a great sigh of relief as his feet lifted from the floor.

Looking over, he wheeled his chair over to a miniature refrigerator where he retrieved a bar of chocolate. Next to the refrigerator there was a bin with a small basketball net over it.

'Time for some birthday chocolate,' he chuckled to himself. Licking his lips, Coach carefully unwrapped the foil that surrounded the bar, relishing in the anticipation of the first bite. The sweet smell drifted to his nose as he opened his mouth to take a delicious, savouring bite. The door burst open suddenly and Coach bit off more than he could chew, startled. He immediately began to choke.

'Oh, God!' cried the woman who had walked in. She had long blonde hair and gentle green eyes. She was a little smaller than Coach but was still a plump woman. She ran around behind his chair and put her arms around him. Squeezing hard on his large chest, she tried to dislodge the piece of chocolate. 'Come on, Coach!' she cried. Coach wheezed breathlessly. 'I'm not letting you die on me, not now, man!' She smacked him on his back and the piece of chocolate flew out and landed neatly in the waste bin, falling straight through the small hoop.

'Thanks, Ruth,' Coach said, coughing slightly. 'But, seriously, why did you just barge on in here?'

'I thought you were out practicing for the big game next week,' Ruth explained.

'Christ... the way those boys are playing we'd lose even if the other team was manned by a crew of rocks.'

'Well isn't it the coach's job to make sure they're good?' Ruth asked. There was a pause.

'What do you know about football?' Coach joked.

'Well not a lot, but I know a lot about you... I know it's your birthday and I know what you want, so I came here to give you this!' Ruth held up an envelope. 'I was hoping to surprise you with it... but you know.' Coach opened it and his face lit up with pure glee.

'You're shittin' me!' he smiled. Ruth shook her head. 'For real?'

'For real,' she nodded.

'You serious?'

'Hell yeah!'

'No joke?'

'Nope!' Ruth grinned, running to embrace him.

'Holy shit! Tickets to the Midnight Riders!'

'Well I thought it'd be nice,' Ruth explained. 'And they're playing at Whispering Oaks, so I it's a perfect gift because that's where we had our first date.' She tapped him on the end of his nose as she finished speaking.

'Damn girl! I think I may have to marry you!' The two laughed and hugged for a moment before stopping and looking tenderly at each other.

'Marry me, eh?' she asked.

'Ah, hell, I was just...'

'It's alright,' Ruth shook her head. 'Don't worry, I know what you meant. It was just nice to hear it.' Coach smiled at her and they embraced again. A few moments passed.

'So?' Coach whispered into her ear.

'So, what?' Ruth asked.

'What would you say?'

'Oh...' she looked away for a second, thinking about the question. 'I guess I'd say yes.'

'Really? Coach asked, soundly slightly amazed.

'Yeah...' Ruth nodded. 'I guess...'

'You guess?'

'Well we won't know unless you ask.'

'Oh right...' Coach said softly. He bit his bottom lip excitedly and then gently separated himself from Ruth. He winced slightly as he bent down on one knee, his good knee, before taking her hand. 'Ruth,' he said tenderly as sudden tears began to well in her eyes. 'Will you marry me?' Ruth blinked excitedly and tears streaked down her cheeks. She jumped up and down slightly before bending down to embrace him.

'You son of a bitch!' she cried merrily. 'Of course I will!' She let out a squeak of joy as she squeezed her new fiancé. 'Don't you tell me you've got me a ring!' Coach paused for a second.

'Alright I won't,' he laughed. 'But I'm gonna get you one.'

'No you don't!' Ruth protested. 'Don't you go buying me an expensive ring, I don't need it.'

'Yes you do,' Coach insisted. 'I want the whole world to know that I love you and we're gonna need a fancy ring for that.' Ruth blushed. 'Besides, you have expensive taste so I'll need it to match the rest of your things.'

'If I had expensive taste, why would I be engaged to you?' Ruth joked, leaning toward Coach to kiss him. The two shared a kiss before Ruth started bouncing happily again. 'I'm gonna go tell everybody!'

'You do that,' Coach winked at her, sitting back down on his chair. Ruth gave him a tender glance before leaving his office and screaming excitedly down the corridor. Coach chuckled as he heard her cry into the distance. He picked up the rest of his uneaten chocolate bar and the Midnight Riders tickets. 'Best birthday chocolate ever,' he said to himself, taking a bite out of the bar. He wasn't sure, but the chocolate tasted a lot sweeter now than it did before.

Savannah was now burning. People in the streets were running, fleeing from the carnage that surrounded them. The sun had only just risen. One week had passed and nearly the whole of the country was under siege. The United States was being destroyed from the inside by the infection. Military helicopters dotted the skyline, helping people escape. One helicopter was flying over the main street as people below chased after it, desperate for rescue. Onboard, the pilot was attacked by an infected passenger, and lost control. The helicopter slowed and then banked to the right suddenly, falling down to the ground. The people chasing after it stopped and started running the opposite direction to get away from it. The helicopter crashed into the street and slid over the road, the propellers chopping and slicing through numerous people, none of them infected.

Nearby, a lone Rochelle had filmed everything that had transpired. Holding the camera herself, she stepped out of the doorway she was hiding in and ran up close to get a better shot. As she approached the wreckage, a loud roar filled the air. Rochelle turned around just in time to see a car flying through the air at her. Jumping out of the way, she looked up from the ground she was now on to see the massive Tank that was roaring at her. Cursing to herself, Rochelle stood up with the camera and ran in the other direction as fast as she could, the Tank in close pursuit.

Rochelle ran through the crowds of panicking people, clusters of debris that hazarded the ground and pushed through the common infected that tried to get near her. Still on the main street out in the open, she decided to change tactics and attempted to outrun the tank in an alleyway. However, the beast's pursuit was relentless. She saw an open door in the alley and decided to head for it. Running through a kitchen, she took a frying pan from a stove and beat away the infected people as she made it through. The Tank crashed through the doors and Rochelle decided to run upstairs as fast as she could. Falling through some of the stairs, the Tank soon joined Rochelle in the corridor that led to the roof. Emerging outside on the rooftops, Rochelle looked around desperately. She was trapped.

'Oh God,' she gasped as the roar of the Tank followed her out the door. Just then, Rochelle heard a gunshot and lifted her arms defensively. The frying pan deflected a bullet shot by someone on the rooftop next to the building she was on. Rochelle looked over and saw a man in a white suit aiming for her. It was Nick. 'Hey!' she yelled at him. 'Try shooting some damn zombies!' Nick lowered his weapon. Rochelle looked through the door and saw the Tank approaching. 'Oh this is bad...' She looked over to Nick and then back at the Tank. She turned, throwing the frying pan away and ran full speed to the edge of the roof as the Tank burst through the door. Rochelle jumped as far as she could forward, through the air, but it was not enough. The Tank followed, falling off the rooftop and crashing to the ground. Rochelle began falling down through the air but her hand was caught by Nick, who securely held her and pulled her up. Her feet on solid ground, Rochelle breathed a sigh of relief. She checked to make sure the camera was still working and then sat down on the ground.

'Thanks,' she smiled.

'Yeah,' Nick nodded. The rooftop had a small roof garden with numerous plant pots and vegetable plots. Nick leant against one of the pots and reloaded his weapon. Rochelle, after taking a few breaths, looked out at the view from the roof. Savannah was in ruins. Smoke clouds were visible as far as the eye could see. The air was becoming smoggy and thick. The sounds were horrific; people screaming as they were being decimated by the infected, gunshots trying in vain to keep them away and the sounds of crashing by vehicles that attempted to transport people to safety. Rochelle swallowed and looked at Nick.

'So,' she said, 'what're you doing up here?'

'Building a plane to get us out of here,' Nick said sarcastically. Rochelle frowned and Nick shook his head. 'I figured I'd come here to die.'

'Why this rooftop?' she asked.

'Got some history here,' Nick said ambiguously. Rochelle tapped her camera with her hand nervously as she paced around the rooftop. 'Are you gonna stay?' Rochelle turned back to Nick, surprised by his question.

'What do you mean?'

'Look, no offence, lady, but I don't want any company.' Rochelle's eyebrows arched in surprise.

'Confident aren't you?' she commented.

'No,' Nick corrected her. 'I just know full well we're not going to get out of here.'

'We?' Rochelle asked. Nick rolled his eyes.

'Me,' he said. 'I don't see any point in giving anyone false hopes, including myself. Look out there.' He gestured to the view of the city. 'You'd be crazy to try and get out of here.'

'You'd be crazy to do it on your own...' Rochelle said softly. She looked at Nick and then bowed her head. Nick watched Rochelle as she stood there, tapping her camera. She suddenly looked up and stopped tapping.

'So we going or what?' she asked.

'Did you not just hear me, lady?' Nick stood up.

'Oh, please,' she interrupted. 'It's Rochelle.'

'I don't want to know your name,' Nick protested, 'because we're not going to team up.'

'I can get you some air time,' Rochelle grinned, holding the camera up. Nick looked away. 'So,' Rochelle said, pointing the lens to Nick. 'What's your story? What's your name?' Nick gave her a scornful look. 'You look like a... Billy-bob.'

'What?' Nick asked, annoyed.

'No... maybe... Richard? Richard Head?' Nick rolled his eyes again. 'Gaylord?'

'It's Nick,' he finally said. 'Nick.' Rochelle lowered the camera and smiled.

'Well it's nice to meet you, Nick.'

*

Coach made his way into the school, limping slightly as his knee was hurting. The hallways were full of infected people who decided to wait out the disaster there. Using a fire axe, he managed to cut through the couple of targets he ran into as he made his way to his destination. Turning a corner, he saw the door to his office was slightly ajar. He approached it slowly holding the axe firm. Taking a deep breath he kicked open the door and swung at the person inside.

'Hey!' his target cried. Coach changed the angle of the swing and ended up chopping his desk in half. As it fell to pieces, the person behind it stood up, hands outstretched. It was Ellis. The young man began spouting apologies. 'Sorry, mister, I... hey. Do I know you?'

'I don't think so,' Coach muttered, stepping over the desk. He opened one of the drawers and began searching through it.

'Hell yeah! I remember you! You used to teach gym!' Ellis said excitedly. 'Don't you remember me? I'm Ellis! Me and my friend, Keith, tried out for the football team. Keith ended up breaking nearly every bone in his body and that was before he got a hand on your balls.'

'Look, kid,' Coach said, not peering up from his desk. 'Do you really think this is the time to start looking back on the good old days when them bitches are out there?'

'Well you seem to be lookin' for somethin' important them out there have to wait for.' Coach sighed and rubbed his eyelids before continuing his search. Ellis pouted his lips and then continued to look around Coach's office.

'Yes!' Coach said happily, taking what he was looking for and putting it into his pocket. He stood up and went to leave.

'What ya got there?' Ellis asked. Coach paused by the door and turned around.

'Nothing,' he said irritably before stopping. He noticed Ellis had numerous cuts and scrapes on his arms and clothes and his knuckles were heavily bruised. 'What are you doing, son?'

'Me?' Ellis asked. 'Well, sir, I figured I'd go to my school since that's where me and Keith spent out whole childhood; see if I could find him but I couldn't.'

'How long have you been here?' Coach asked.

'Quite a while,' Ellis said. 'I figured we'd meet here because of all the memories... like this one time, to play a prank on the athletics squad, me and him filled up water balloons with our own-'

'I think that's enough,' Coach interrupted. He looked out down the dark corridor and sighed. 'Listen, how about we go look for him together?'

'Okay,' Ellis nodded. 'I was gettin' real bored here anyway. The chocolate in that fridge is disgustin'.' Coach frowned as Ellis left his office, yet he followed him out into the school.

*

Just off the west coast of America, the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln, an enormous aircraft carrier, was positioned defensively. Helicopters, fighter jets and small boats were all leaving the Abraham Lincoln and heading for the shoreline. One helicopter, heading from the direction of open water, came in to land on the outer deck. As it slowly descended onto the helipad, Admiral Richard Jaeger stepped out onto the deck and adjusted his hat.

'God damn it I hate these bureaucrats,' he muttered to himself. As the helicopter touched down on the deck, the doors opened immediately and a man in an expensive business suit stepped out.

'Hello, Admiral,' said the Director, with a grin. 'Are you looking forward to getting this show underway?'

_And so it begins... again. I'd like to thank you for reading and promise you a lot more is yet to come. Any reviews, comments, criticisms are greatly appreciated. I love getting reviews, it boots my ego haha. Anyway, I hope you'll enjoy what will be coming shortly. Thank you once more for reading. =]_

_Andy_


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